Premier Alan Winde on COVID-19 Coronavirus cases in Western Cape

14 April 2020

As of 00h01 on 14 April, the Western Cape has recorded 657 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection. 

Sub Districts Cape Town Metro:

Sub Districts Non-Metro:

Unallocated: 9

A total of 184 recoveries have been recorded (in line with NICD guidelines on recoveries) in the province.

A note on today’s statistics: A case allocated to Bitou yesterday has been re-assigned to Witzenberg after address details were updated. We apologise for the inconvenience. The laboratories sometimes use patient addresses already on file at the time of testing, which are then corrected during the follow-up and contact tracing processes.

There are currently 35 Covid-19 positive people being treated in hospitals in the province, with 18 of these in intensive care.

Cloth masks:

Today I had the opportunity to visit two clothing manufacturers who have repurposed their factories in order to make cloth masks. The KWay factory in Ottery and the Reliance Clothing factory in Observatory have both recently repurposed their production lines in order to make cloth masks. The Western Cape Government has advised residents to wear cloth masks when going out into public places like grocery shops, pharmacies and to medical facilities.

Worn correctly, clean cloth masks, in conjunction with hand washing, social distancing and other hygiene measures, are a tool to help stop the spread.

At the same time, these companies have been able to bring back some of their production staff to perform this essential service, and provide work to home-based CMTs, who would otherwise have no other source of income during this period.

While visiting the workspaces, I was pleased to see various measures in place to ensure the safety of their staff, including reduced numbers of people to ensure social distancing, and strict hygiene measures. All staff were also wearing their own cloth masks.

As we prepare to transition out of the lockdown phase in a few weeks, we must prepare individuals, workplaces and businesses for the “new normal”. This will mean taking extra precautions to prevent further infections while we ramp up economic activity again.

We encourage those who can do so, to make their own masks, and also to make for or donate to less fortunate communities.

Community screening and testing:

Community testing and screening will be conducted in the following areas tomorrow:

Metro:

Northern Tygerberg Subdistrict: Kraaifontein (Ward 6), Delft, Belhar

Southern Western Subdistrict: ImizamoYethu, Du Noon, Lotus River, Grassy Park

Klipfontein Mitchells Plain Subdistrict: Gugulethu, Nyanga, Silvertown, Hanover Park, Manenberg

Khayelitsha Eastern Subdistrict: Mfuleni, Macassar, Site C (Khayelitsha)

Non-metro:

Cape Winelands: Mbekweni, White City

Garden Route: Asla Park, Fikile Street Block, Zoar, Amalienstein, Vanwyksdorp, Calitzdorp, Ladismith

West Coast: Vredendal Noord, Mangaung, Piketberg, Old Asla Houses, Riverview South Citrusdal, Clanwilliam (Khayelitsha), Malmesbury (Ilingilethu), Saldanha Town (Marikanna, Middel pos)

 Screening sites may be changed at short notice.

Lockdown humanitarian aid:

The Coronavirus has resulted in widespread economic hardship for many South Africans and we are extremely worried that many vulnerable communities no longer have the means to put food on the table.

In order to respond to this major challenge, during the lockdown, the Western Cape Government has assigned R53 million in additional funding which will be used for emergency school feeding, to bolster the Department of Social Development’s feeding programmes and for the once-off creation and distribution of 50 000 food parcels.

Earlier today, community unrest broke out in Mitchells Plain around the distribution of food parcels. We also saw looting in certain areas. This demonstrates the serious humanitarian challenge facing communities across our country, and the need for increased support from SASSA and national government in addition to our emergency measures. We urge all residents to abide by the law and looting cannot be tolerated.

We are pleased that SASSA has started distributing food relief. As the lead agency charged with social support to the poor in terms of the Social Assistance Act, they have an important role to play in helping communities through this tremendously difficult time. We hope that they continue to do more to help vulnerable communities – in line with their mandate, and we urge the national minister to reconsider her directive closing all of SASSA’s local offices during the lockdown period. We also look forward to working with National Government on their humanitarian relief programmes, and we hope to see these details soon.

With respect to the Western Cape Government’s emergency additional funding which was approved as a result of the lockdown: each individual request will be assessed by departmental officials based on the criteria set out below.

DSD social workers complete the screening and assessments of all beneficiaries, to ensure that those individuals who are the most vulnerable, benefit from the limited food parcels that are available.

The food parcels will support an average household for one month and will be based on the following qualifying criteria:

Households affected by COVID-19 infections in the following instances:

A member/s of the family who tested positive for the virus and are in quarantine in their homes.
A household where a member of the family who tested positive for the virus and who have insufficient means to sustain themselves during the lockdown period.

A person who is on medication or who suffers from a chronic illness and have insufficient means to sustain themselves, and was assessed and referred by a local clinic or registered health practitioner.

A person and their household who have insufficient means to sustain themselves during the lockdown period who was referred by a registered humanitarian relief agency, registered NPO or a municipal manager, and assessed by DSD. In this instance, persons not yet in receipt of SASSA grants, including the elderly, child headed houses, grant awaiting beneficiaries will be prioritised. 

The current situation we find ourselves in is unprecedented and as the lockdown is set to continue until the end of the month, affecting the ability to earn a living across our province, we are likely to see more people needing assistance. This is something that is going to take effort from all levels of government and of society to solve. Now is the time for kindness, empathy and generosity. We know that this is a difficult time for many, but we call on those individuals, businesses and NGOs who are able to assist, to do so. To find out more about how to assist, visit the How You Can Help page at www.westerncape.gov.za/coronavirus. We thank all of those organisations and people who have stepped up to help their fellow citizens.

Issued by Western Cape Office of the Premier, 14 April 2020