Lockdown: Western Cape warns ANC against reverting to Level 5

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape responded to the call of the African National Congress (ANC) that the province need to reintroduce Level 5 lockdown restrictions, saying this would lead to a “catastrophic and unprecedented humanitarian crisis”. 

On Friday 9 May, the ANC said the return to Level 5 in the Western Cape is an urgent matter that requires some serious consideration.

“This province faces its biggest health challenge ever and needs to go back to the level 5 quarantine urgently to slow down infections,” MPL Danville Smith said in a statement. 

Mkhize on oversight visit to Western Cape epicentre

The party’s call preceded Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize’s oversight visit to the province on Saturday 9 May in which the minister met with Western Cape premier Alan Winde, professors, epidemiologists and doctors working on the province’s outbreak response in Cape Town.

The Western Cape has emerged as the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in South Africa with 4 809 cases of infection and 88 deaths. On Friday, it recorded the highest one-day provincial spike with 503 new cases which contributed to 76% of the total amount of new cases.

Hard lockdown will cause ‘humanitarian crisis’

On Sunday, however, DA Western Cape provincial leader Bonginkosi Madikizela said it is “blatantly untrue to think that a return to a hard lockdown will stop COVID-19”.

“The ANC in the Western Cape’s proposal for the province to revert to Level 5 shows a total lack of understanding of the purpose of a lockdown, does not follow epidemiological evidence, and fails to take into consideration the catastrophic and unprecedented humanitarian crisis this would cause.”

Bonginkosi Madikizela

Focus on cluster control

According to Madikizela, the rise of positive COVID-19 cases in the Western Cape was observed during Level 5, with clusters of infections emerging around places of work deemed essential under the regulations, such as retail, health, security and agriculture.

“We are focusing on these clusters, and targeted our screening and testing to identify those who test positive for the virus. The provincial government has also introduced strict guidelines for businesses to re-open. We are working closely with the business sector so they can help us flatten the curve.”

DA questions other provinces’ transparency about cases

The provincial leader intimated that other provinces were not fully honest and transparent about their figures of positive cases and fatalities, asking:

“Why doesn’t every province provide the same level of detail and breakdown as the Western Cape does on all metrics?”

Madikizela also referred to Health Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Sbongiseni Dhlomo issuing a “partisan statement after listening to his comrades, not giving himself time to study the situation in the Western Cape”.

“In his statement, Dhlomo makes assumptions about the province before getting all the facts. I urge him to follow relevant processes and to engage the province before making unsubstantiated claims.”

‘It is not a solution nor sustainable’

Consideration should rather be given to the fact that the extended lockdown has brought many in the country to the point of starvation, he added.

“To return to a hard lockdown will result in a catastrophic and unprecedented humanitarian disaster. It is simply not a solution nor is it sustainable. The ANC’s rigid approach will result in more human suffering, and inevitable civil disobedience.”

‘Irresponsible thinking’: Prisoners on parole

He concluded by pointing out the “irony” of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s authorisation of the parole of 19 000 prisoners as the number of COVID-19 infections in six South African prisons climbed to 172.

The president’s decision to parole low-risk “petty crime” prisoners followed directives issued by the United Nations (UN).

“Ironically, the ANC wants law-abiding citizens to be locked up while releasing 19 000 prisoners on parole because “prisons are full”. It is this kind of irresponsible thinking that proves that the ANC is incapable of grasping reality.”

Mkhize calls for strict action in commercial settings

Ramaphosa is set to visit the Western Cape province on Friday 15 May.

After his meeting with Winde and other stakeholders on Saturday, Mkhize said cluster outbreaks in the Western Cape are happening in commercial settings, such as factories and supermarkets, calling for stricter restrictions in these areas.

He also commented on the lack of tests kits in the province:

“There have been a large number of tests done. However, there is a real shortage of test kits. I’ve called around the public and private labs and the NICD [National Institute of Communicable Diseases] and they are also experiencing the same issues.”

On Saturday 9 May, the number of COVID-19 coronavirus infection cases in the country stood at 9 420 – an increase of 525 from the previous day.