Remarks by Deputy President David Mabuza at the meeting with traditional leaders in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Sefako Makgatho Guesthouse, Tshwane

Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Inkosi Mahlangu, 
Deputy Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Inkosikazi Mhlauli, 
President of CONTRALESA, Kgoshi Mokoena
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 
Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize 
Representatives of the various Houses of Traditional Leaders and Councils,
Members of Provincial Executive Councils responsible for Traditional Affairs and Health,
All traditional leaders present 
Ladies and Gentlemen 
Molweni! Lotshani! Dumelang! Avuxeni! Ndimatsheloni!

Thank you all for being here at this difficult period in our country’s history. We have invited you to respectfully seek your guidance and wisdom in dealing decisively with the coronavirus pandemic. 

Our engagements with you, forms part of our outreach as government to mobilize support for the national effort to contain the outbreak of the coronavirus or COVID-19.

As you will all be aware, last night the President announced that effective from midnight on Thursday the 26th of March 2020, South Africa will effectively be under nationwide lockdown.

It is drastic, but wholly proportionate to the gravity of the situation we are facing. 

For 21 days, every South African will have to remain in their homes, barring certain categories of workers who provide key services like healthcare workers, emergency personnel, security services personnel and the military.

There will only be very specific circumstances under which people can leave their homes, such as to get medical care, to buy food, medicine and supplies, and importantly, to collect the social grant.

This is particularly important for many of Amakhosi whose constituencies are heavily dependent on social security assistance from the State. 

As announced last night, we have brought forward the date for old age pension and disability grants to the 30th and 31st of March, and other categories from the 1st of April. All channels for access including ATM’s, retail points of sale devices, Post Offices and cash pay points will remain open for collections.

We will rely on your cooperation and leadership to convey this message that the supply of food and other basic goods will continue, as will the banking services, power and water provision as well as telecommunications services. 

Our healthcare facilities will continue to operate, as will our police stations; and a full list of businesses that will be permitted to stay open, will be published in due course.
When we declared the National State of Disaster two weeks ago, we said that an essential part of containing the spread of the virus was implementing quarantine measures. 

As also announced last night, we are in the process of identifying sites for quarantine and self-isolation for those who cannot do so at home. These sites will be located across the country including our villages. 

In this regard we are counting on the leadership of AmaKhosi to equally raise awareness in our communities about what quarantine entails and why it is necessary. 
The location of a quarantine centre or facility whether in a village or city centre, does not mean the health of the community is being put at risk. 

Your Majesties,

Some may ask as to why did we resort to a national lockdown of South Africa? 

Quite simply, the global response has largely been reactive instead of being proactive. 

As the Executive Director of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus said yesterday, measures such as social or physical distancing have been effective to some extent. However, they are largely defensive measures. 

Instead, what is needed are aggressive tactics such as “strategic testing, tracing and isolation of contacts. 
Once infected cases are identified, contact tracing can help further prevent the spread of the disease and prevent onward transmission”. 

The role of traditional leaders, as leaders closest to the people, is very important in assisting us to reverse the increase in new infections. 

The current COVID-19 pandemic has caused so much global disruption and panic that has been swift and unrelenting. It is without doubt that the current world order as we know it will be altered, hopefully for the better.

It is clear that with the numbers of confirmed infections in South Africa on the rise, our screening and testing procedures should be stepped up. 

While so far, most cases of infections have been mainly confined to urban areas, it is only a matter of time before coronavirus pandemic reaches and if not prevented, possibly also overwhelm our rural areas.  

This is a pandemic that is highly infectious and one that has no borders, is affecting young and old, black and white, poor and wealthy.

Those of our people who are immunocompromised and in the main living with HIV and TB, are severely exposed and are most vulnerable to this pandemic. 

It is this reason that we must work together as partners, to among other issues contribute in this battle through interventions like:

-    Cheka Impilo campaign, to ensure that everyone knows their health status;
-    Trace, find, diagnose and place on treatment the missing TB patients;
-    Intensify the fight against stigma and discrimination against those infected with TB, HIV and extend our support to those testing positive to COVID-19;
-    Seize this opportunity to encourage our people to know their health status in connection to all non-communicable diseases like high-blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, and that
-    Work with government as advocates and champions for a corona-free South Africa. 

As government we raise these health concerns of knowing your HIV, TB and other non-communicable diseases, because they are risk factors in our collective fight against COVID-19. 

They are colliding epidemics and pandemics that require a multi-sectoral approach.    

Our government has long recognised the important role of the institution of traditional leadership alongside institutions borne of constitutional democracy. As an institution, you are fundamental to national development.

We must at all times strengthen the good relations that exist between ourselves in pursuit of development and in eradicating poverty, inequality, underdevelopment and all forms of social ills facing our people.

The regulations announced two weeks ago are designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, to encourage hygiene control and social distancing, to provide for screening and detection, and to support care and support for those infected.

We want to thank the National House of Traditional Leaders for working with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the South African Local Government Association in providing input into the process that led to the release of the regulations.

It has been of the utmost importance that our national response is informed by extensive consultation. This is a time for common humanity and bond that thinks of generational impact. 

We have no choice but to contain this virus and its spread. We have to protect people’s lives by promoting infection control measures like proper hygiene. 

We have to see to it that those who may be at risk are screened, diagnosed and treated. Most importantly, we have to do all we can to mitigate the impact, particularly the financial impact on the lives of our people at this difficult time.

Over the next few days we will be providing further clarity on some of the measures that the President announced last night to support the livelihoods of our people; because the unavoidable consequences of the national lockdown will be significant.

As you will know, these include the setting up of a Solidarity Fund, regulations to protect the public against unjustified price hikes on essential goods, a Temporary Employee Relief Scheme, assistance to Small and Medium Enterprises, and a proposed safety net for those employed in the informal sector, to name just a few.

Without doubt, the coming days will be difficult for all of us. 

Our government will take every measure to address the basic needs of our people by ensuring that basic services are not compromised and are delivered on time.
 
It is in this regard that one of the measures we have put in place, is the provision of emergency water supplies to informal settlements and rural areas through tankers, borehole drilling and increasing the number of communal standpipes.

We are encouraged by the support of our people and their understanding as to why such measures had to be taken. We also applaud our traditional leaders for supporting government’s containment measures. 

For instance, the decision by the Eastern Cape Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to suspend initiations, is welcome. 

Ultimately, the risk of exposing our young men to infection whilst practicing the age-old tradition, is far too high to ignore. 

Practising social distancing, is the most effective way to contain the spread of the virus. 

The restriction on public gatherings to no more than a hundred people, is but one of the measures we have taken to ensure that we do not unnecessarily expose ourselves to risk. These regulations should be read in the spirit for which they are intended. 

We want to encourage all of us to take decisions around public meetings and gatherings that ultimately encourage people to stay at home.

As we have said, we have to seriously consider what failure to comply with the regulations means for the spread of the virus, but importantly what the impact will be on our healthcare system. 

This nationwide lockdown will be accompanied by a public health management programme which will significantly increase screening, testing, contact tracing and medical management. 

Community health teams will focus on expanding screening and testing where people live, focusing first on high density and high-risk areas.

In addition, a system will be put in place for ‘centralised patient management’ for severe cases and ‘decentralised primary care’ for mild cases.

We count on you to get the message out there that people should not panic, and that there will be care for them if they need treatment.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Majesties,

As leaders, our people are looking at us for guidance, support and reassurance at this time. 

Raising awareness to our people about this virus, what it is about, how it is spread and what to do if they or their loved ones become infected, is paramount.

The national Department of Health is running a countrywide campaign to raise awareness that should reach all corners of the country and in the languages our people understand. 

We appeal to you to support us in this initiative of ensuring that people understand how to protect themselves against infection.
 
In our villages and towns, traditional leaders are an important conduit for information. You occupy positions of great trust. 

The Department of Health is willing to support you in this regard by providing material to disseminate. At this most difficult time for our country, we must work together and act as one. We must counter any form of disinformation with accurate data. 

We must encourage support for the containment measures and at the same time make our people aware that failure to comply will be costly to us all.

Underlying all our actions is the need to preserve life. 

The extraordinary measures we have taken in the form of a national lockdown is necessary if we are to disrupt the chain of transmission. 

We have the utmost confidence that acting together, we will succeed in reversing this pandemic during this national lockdown. For that, we count on your full and unqualified support.

Minister Zweli Mkhize and Minister Dlamini Zuma will provide more updates and details on the health update and the responses of government. 

I thank you.