Virus: DA calls for openness
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is unhappy about what it deems to be a lack of transparency regarding Covid-19 in the province
It has submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to the Limpopo department of health, demanding an “open book” in matters relating to the infection, recoveries and the curbing of Covid-19.
The PAIA application by the party is also aimed at forcing the department, under the leadership of MEC Phophi Ramathiuba, to release detailed Covid-19 statistics on a daily basis or, at least, every second day.
DA spokesperson for health Risham Maharaj said the application was submitted because the provincial department was allegedly inconsistent in sharing information regarding Covid-19.
He said on Monday the DA and other parties represented in the Limpopo Legislature had an informative meeting with Premier Chupu Mathabatha and certain MECs regarding the province’s response to Covid-19. He alleged that Mathabatha and his team had committed to such detailed information on a fortnightly basis.
“Despite this positive engagement, the DA believes the Limpopo department of health should be releasing the statistics daily or at least every other day. The information must broken down into cases per district, fatalities per district, recoveries, the number of screenings and the number of tests conducted,” said Maharaj.
He said the frequent provision of this information about the coronavirus was important.
“The release of this information is necessary for public accountability. It reflects how much work is being done,” said Maharaj.
“For example, the information released recently by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) that shows that Limpopo has only managed to conduct 69 tests per 100 000 people, which is the second-lowest after the North West. The province has so far screened over three million people, with about 3 000 people being referred for testing and 1 942 people being tested.”
He said according to figures provided by the NICD, which indicated the low numbers of testing being conducted, more questions have been raised as to whether the country was getting a complete picture of transmissions in the province.
According to Maharaj, for an accurate reflection of the spread of the virus, Limpopo needed to increase testing.
Neal Stacey and daughter Chantal Steyl are modest people with big hearts – ready to reach out and take up the plight of South Africans stranded abroad during the global Covid-19 crisis.
From Thailand to Cambodia, the impact of efforts by the South African philanthropic family has known no bounds in their crusade to reach out to stranded South Africans abroad during the pandemic.
“We have all been put on this planet for a reason, to help others in need,” said Stacey.
With their online-based campaign, #bringourfamilieshome, daily making a difference in the lives of those trapped in foreign countries due to lockdowns, Stacey and Steyl have made it their business to offer help, from money to food parcels.
“I wanted to create an awareness on social media and start an online petition when I hooked up Pierre Bezuidenhout, who is currently in Koh Sinai with wife Vanna,” said Stacey.
“We founded #bringourfamilieshome and started a Facebook page and a WhatsApp group in Thailand to create positivity among stranded South Africans.
“The movement we are starting in helping South Africans abroad should go beyond the coronavirus phase. You have South African teachers who are currently jobless in Cambodia. They need any help – from money to food.”
Among many South Africans assisted by the generosity of Stacey and Steyl are Chad Esterhuizen and Megan Ridley, who are in Thailand.
Ridley told The Citizen of their experience: “Chad and I were at the point where we had been kicked out of our previous accommodation. We had reached the stage where we had exhausted our funds.
“They restored our faith that we would be okay.
“When we told them of our situation, without any hesitation, Chantal sent us funds that would cover our travels to the Chiang Mai Airport.
“Not only did this give us hope, but it was the kindness of the Stacey and Steyl family in these hard times that brought an abundance of positivity.”
Ridley and Esterhuizen are among South Africans expected to return to South Africa on Friday – marking the end of an ordeal abroad.
Another South African, Mario Boffa, said: “We are ultimately looking forward to coming home and be reunited with families.”