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Mabuyane takes swipe at those using pandemic to enrich themselves

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Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane has taken a swipe against those who are using this pandemic to enrich themselves. He expressed concern about reports of alleged corruption in the OR Tambo District Municipality.

This follows a suspicious door-to-door awareness campaign on coronavirus which amounted to R4 million. 

Mabuyane says an investigation into this alleged corrupt activity is under way. “I have written to the president asking for SIU. MEC for Cogta and Treasury are working on a preliminary investigation on the allegations that have emerged, fiscal dumping, payment of money to service providers that have not done any work – all that packaged together. We are dealing with that situation in OR Tambo.”

Mabuyane has also appealed to citizens of the province to take full responsibility in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.

Briefing the media in Bhisho, Mabuyane says they have adopted a strategy where people will be at the forefront of the fight against the spread of the virus. He explains that this will be done through the establishment of ward command committees. The Eastern Cape currently has the third-highest number of infections in the country.

The province is beefing up its response to COVID-19:

The Eastern Cape currently is sitting with 38 081 cases of positive cases of the virus with 528 recorded deaths. The adopted community based rapid response strategy is aiming at reinforcing the fight against the spread of the virus.

Eighty-seven wards in the Buffalo City Metro and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro have been identified as those that need urgent intervention.

 Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane says every citizen must take part in the fight against the virus.

“(We are) calling for a paradigm shift from a top-down to a bottom-up approach. Currently, (we) are not complying with regulations that are out there. The only way to defeat it (the virus) is for every individual to exercise their safety. That’s what we are calling for.”

Reopening of schools 

The province is also working around the clock to ensure that schools are compliant with occupational health and safety requirements to allow for a smooth process of phasing in other grades. The province has delayed the phasing in of other grades back to school citing safety concerns. 

“Grade 12 is operating and plans are quite intact. They have yielded resounding outcomes and projections, that we are going to meet the target that we have set for ourselves as a province. We also created interventions camps where students are taught by senior educators in various skills of teaching and learning,” says Education MEC is Fundile Gade.

About 18 state-owned facilities such as museums, nursing colleges, hostels will be converted into field hospitals.

Below is the Premier media briefing:

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