‘I nearly lost my job’
Ramathuba allowed repatriates to stay at Protea Ranch Hotel
Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba says the decision to allow repatriated South Africans from Wuhan, China, to be quarantined at the Protea Ranch Hotel in the province had the potential to end her political career.
Ramathuba was reflecting on the anniversary of the first Covid-19 case found in SA and the subsequent arrival of more than 100 South Africans from the coronavirus epicentre at the time in March last year.
Limpopo was identified as a suitable place to quarantine South Africans by health minister Zweli Mkhize after attempts to base them in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal failed.
“When I look back, it was a difficult moment for me and the country. I was called all sorts of names, accused of being a populist who likes media attention because I insisted that there was nothing wrong with them coming to the province,” she said.
Ramathuba said the backlash and insults were unbearable and some of the returnees, including students, felt rejected by their own.
“I prayed and hoped that nothing would go wrong because it had a potential to end my career and people were already calling for my removal. Even some of the politicians were saying I should resign because I’m too selfish,” Ramathuba reflected.
She added that people didn’t understand that those South Africans were not infected, but were only exposed to a place that had an outbreak. At the time when the repatriates landed at the Polokwane International Airport, Limpopo had no infections recorded.
Ramathuba said the arrival of the repatriates gave her an opportunity to plan ahead on how to deal with the spread of the virus by the time it hit the province.
“I started to prepare beds, starting with Pietersburg Hospital in Polokwane, and we renovated facilities that needed an upgrade.
“We then implemented a strategy that we are going to quarantine anyone who tested positive for Covid-19 and that helped us to reduce the spread,” she said.
The repatriates were quarantined in Wuhan for 52 days before President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered for their repatriation.
They spent 14 days in quarantine at the hotel. The hotel has since reopened to normal business despite initial fears based on stigma attached to the pandemic at the time that visitors would snub it.