Provincial focus
North West avoids COVID-19 surge
In North West, collaborative efforts between government, the private sector and civil society have shielded the province from the worst impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
North West has consistently ranked towards the bottom half on the list of provinces with the most COVID-19 cases and deaths.
The work of the Provincial Command Council has been in line with national guidelines, and appropriate enforcement of regulations, along with vigorous testing and tracing strategies, have been effective at keeping case numbers relatively low.
Protecting the mining sector
Mining is critical to the economy of the province. However, mines also pose a significant risk of becoming hotspots for COVID-19. The provincial government has been quick to recognise this, engaging extensively with mining houses to deal with confirmed cases and prevent the spread of the virus in mines.
Premier Job Mokgoro said that forging partnerships has been critical in the province's fight against the virus.
“We have, since the outbreak of the pandemic, managed to forge partnerships with the Minerals Council of South Africa, which includes all the mining houses conducting business in this province and all other big business across the province; so as to pull together all the available resources at our disposal towards the fight against the spread of COVID-19.”
The most notable of these partnerships is the progress made in the
Bojanala district – a hotspot district – through the Rustenburg Health Forum, which comprises officials from the Bojanala District Health Department and mining house representatives.
“The MEC for Health, Madoda Sambatha, has been visiting and engaging with the mining houses in the province to assess the levels of compliance with lockdown regulations in that space.
“It is very key that mineworkers are screened before they start work and those who come from hotspot provinces like Western Cape, Gauteng and the Eastern Cape should be screened and tested before they start work,” said the Premier.
North West acted swiftly to ensure that the province is prepared should a surge in cases materialise.
“Hospital capacity in the province has been enhanced by collaboration between the public and private health as well as the mining sectors.
“We will continue to enhance the capacity of hospitals to ensure that services can be rendered should the need arise.”
Staff wellness is also a key part of the province's preparedness.
“We have ensured that our staff wellness is taken care of and this is an area that we will continue to improve on.This has been a key priority for the Provincial COVID-19
Command Council and measures have been taken to ensure the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), psycho-social support and (flu) vaccination of frontline workers,” said the Premier.
MEC Madoda Sambatha said that the department is working closely with private health practitioners.
“The Department of Health, as the lead department in the fight against COVID-19, is working with private health practitioners to ensure the standardised management of patients across the province and the department is continuously monitoring standard operating procedures and tools for managing COVID-19 patients in both the public and private sectors.”
The province has spent R124 million in the fight against COVID-19, which includes the procurement of PPE, ventilators and oxygen points.
Premier Mokgoro has heeded President Cyril Ramaphosa's call for government to take a firm stance against corruption.
In August, Mokgoro instructed all provincial government departments and public entities to submit reports relating to all procurement done in connection with COVID-19 PPE and medical supplies.
“Let me be clear from the onset that the North West Provincial Government will fully cooperate with the Cabinet Committee announced by the President to deal with the alleged corruption in all COVID-19 procurement.
“We are also cooperating, in full, with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in line with the proclamation by the President allowing it to conduct wide-ranging investigations into alleged and suspected acts of corruption in COVID-19-related procurement,” said the Premier.
The SIU is investigating two municipalities in North West – the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in Mahikeng and the JB Marks Local Municipality in Potchefstroom.
“Government is aware of the reports that are in the public domain regarding COVID-19 expenditure, in particular in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District and JB Marks Local Municipality.
“The expenditure matters relating to the two municipalities are with the law-enforcement agencies and we are encouraged about the manner in which the law-enforcement agencies are dealing with the matters.”
Internal audits of all provincial departments are also taking place.
“The audits focus, among others, on whether departments are assessed or manage the risk with regard to this expenditure and whether the prescribed procurement processes were followed, whether prices paid are market-related and in accordance with price determinations and whether the quality of goods received is compliant with prescribed standards,” he added.