‘Depoliticise the pandemic’
With Gauteng still the province with the second-highest number of coronavirus cases after the Western Cape, Premier David Makhura yesterday took an indirect swipe at Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen, calling for a depoliticisation of the disease.
Regarding the credibility of the province’s testing numbers, Makhura, who was giving an update on Gauteng’s readiness for alert Level 3, said the leader of a political party was behind “this false assertion”. He added: “We do not want to engage in party politics or politicise this disease.
“A political party leader has said that Gauteng was not testing and tracing enough – an assertion which has been proven to be false. Our testing and tracing levels are currently between 95% and 100%.
“You cannot manage a pandemic taking an ideological or political approach.
“To say that Gauteng’s numbers must be treated with suspicion is utter nonsense.”
Makhura added: “You cannot blame your neighbour when your children are not going to school.
“For us, it would be heartless to celebrate when Western Cape Covid-19 numbers go above Gauteng’s, because we are all fighting the same pandemic.”
In a recent article published on the DA website, Steenhuisen said the Western Cape had tested “more of its population than any other province” – a claim also described as “false” by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize.
Wrote Steenhuisen: “Over half of SA’s confirmed active Covid cases are in the Western Cape, where the virus is more established than in other parts of the country and is now moving into the phase of rapid growth ahead of the peak.
“Yet the province has done what it can to prepare for the peak and should move to Level 3.
“Leading experts predict that many provinces will catch up to the Western Cape’s trajectory in the coming months. They should not be returned to Level 4 or 5, regardless of readiness.
“The Western Cape has been testing more of its population than any other province. So far, it has tested 1 350 people per 100 000 of the population, while other provinces have tested between 140 and 850 per 100 000 of the population. The more tests, the more cases will be recorded.
“In contrast to other provinces, the province’s testing strategy is focused on hotspots where infections are concentrated – as opposed to general testing of the population. This means the ratio of positive tests to all tests will be higher.”
Gauteng health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku has maintained that the verification of Covid-19 testing statistics was a national competence, residing with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases.