R100m injected into Bay fight against Covid-19

vestigate ways to offer muchneeded support.

He also announced that the automotive giant had secured grant funding from the German federal ministry for economic co-operation and development (BMZ) for the project.

“The funding is part of BMZ’s response to the Covid19 pandemic to support measures by privately owned companies to significantly alleviate the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic in developing or emerging market countries.

“BMZ will provide funding of R107m to support the conversion of the plant as well as the procurement of protective gear [PPE] for staff at regional tertiary hospitals, regional primary care clinics and 49 Covid19 test centres.

“VWSA will contribute R28m to the project.

“Additionally, VWSA will provide project management for the conversion of the facility and management of the procurement of the critical PPE,” Schaefer said.

Commending VWSA on its efforts, Mabuyane said that instead of criticising the provincial government, the automotive company had stepped up to help.

The facility will be made available to the government until March next year. The department of health and the municipality will be responsible for the management and daily operations.

A dedicated team of trained health workers will be deployed to the facility.

Business chamber CEO Nomkhita Mona said the chamber had set up an internal joint operations committee chaired by chamber president Andrew Muir to craft strategies to help in combating Covid-19.

“A number of companies put their hands up to be part of this and VWSA is one of them.

“We’ve made refurbishments at Livingstone Hospital and Provincial Hospital and brought back some wards that were no longer in use,” she said.

Mona said Isuzu Motors had also made available one of its distribution centres as a PPE storage facility as well as providing trucks to distribute them.

Acting Bay mayor Thsonono Buyeye thanked businesses in the metro and said the city needed private business to boost the metro’s economy.

“Any delay in partnership between the government and the private sector could have devastating effects on our communities and their livelihoods,” Buyeye said.

Prior to the hospital launch,

Mabuyane, accompanied by health officials, met the metro officials and the Sarah Baartman District’s joint committee at the Sound End fire station.

He also visited the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where 18 patients are in isolation.

Mabuyane also visited the Motherwell shopping mall, where he checked whether social distancing was being observed.