‘Military bases are compliant’
Minister conducts inspections to ensure readiness of SANDF facilities for Covid-19 battle
DEFENCE and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-nqakula was satisfied with what she saw as she visited military units and bases in the Western Cape to assess the Covid-19 state of readiness of the SANDF facilities yesterday.
Mapisa-nqakula focused on facilities where the SANDF recruits were undergoing training to ensure that all health requirements and protocols were in place.
She inspected the SA Navy facilities in Simon’s Town and Gordon’s Bay and the Military Academy in Saldanha. SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said Mapisa-nqakula had visited the Infantry School in Oudtshoorn and Air force Base Hoedspruit in Limpopo during last week.
She also visited the Naval Staff College in Muizenberg and the SA Naval College in Gordon’s Bay.
“The minister wanted to ensure that the protective equipment and medical support meet the needs of the members and that the required quarantine and isolation facilities were available and equipped.
“This is to ensure that members of the SANDF are healthy and ready to be deployed to assist other government departments during this pandemic.”
Dlamini said Mapisa-nqakula also explored ways those military facilities could be used and extended to the general public in the surrounding areas to allow access to those who might need to be quarantined and isolated.
Naval Base Simon’s Town public relations department head Commander
Leverne Nsibande said Mapisanqakula’s visit was part of Operation Notlela.
“The visit informed the minister about the readiness of training units in curbing the spread of Covid-19 and will address the trainees.”
She said since the announcement of the lockdown there had been several interventions by the SANDF in support of government departments.
“Mass screening (door-to-door) and testing as identified by the Health Department is conducted by the SA Military Health Service as part of the targeted operations on a seven-day rotation in each of the targeted areas.”
Nsibande said those targeted operations had been conducted in the Bonteheuwel community at a centre set up at the Metropolitan Sports Field, where testing was done for those identified in the community.
“Another testing site has been identified in Khayelitsha Site B where screening has been done since yesterday as part of mass screening and testing,” she said.
Nsibande said more than 708 members of the SANDF had been deployed during the lockdown period in support of the police throughout the province.
“There are 15 members deployed at each of the provincial roadblocks: N7 – 1st rural deployment on N7 (Bitterfontein) from March 28; N2 (Plettenberg Bay) and N1/R61 (Beaufort West) in position from March 29; and the Tsitsikamma Toll Gate.”
She pointed out that soldiers were also deployed daily in the Cape Town metro in clusters.