AfriForum asks for clarity regarding deployment of 10 000 field workers for COVID-19

31 March 2020 

The civil rights organisation AfriForum today directed a letter to Dr Zweli Mkhize, Minister of Health, to obtain more information regarding the deployment of 10 000 COVID-19 field workers. Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced that these workers will test people for the virus.  

Dr Eugene Brink, Spokesperson for health-related matters at AfriForum, says the organisation supports the current lockdown measures and encourages the public to comply with these measures. The organisation is however concerned that criminals will pretend to be COVID-19 field workers to rob people. “Clarity is thus necessary with regard to, among others, how these field workers will identify themselves, the timeframe necessary to conclude the work, what precisely the rights of both the citizens and the field workers are, as well as the geographical spread where the field workers will be deployed. For example, the field workers will need to have a clear form of identification with them.”

According to Brink, there were already recently rogueries where criminals pretended to be Netcare personnel. “They then want to gain access to your property and rob you or impose some other form of harm on you. Even though the president now made this announcement and changed the measures, a lack of details can still be exploited.    

“We subsequently ask that they provide answers to our questions as soon as possible seeing as adequate information will help the public understand how they should act, while also simplifying the testing process for the government and thereby thwarting any attempts to exploit the situation,” concludes Brink.

Issued Carina Bester, Media Relations Officer, AfriForum, 31 March 2020