Fate of field hospitals uncertain, court says no evictions in Cape Town without an order, and Limpopo mining villages struggle to survive

26 Aug 2020

On Wednesday, the fate of field hospitals seemed to vary across provinces. The City of Cape Town has been ordered not to evict people or demolish structures without a court order during the State of National Disaster. Meanwhile, mining villages in Limpopo are struggling to survive after the double economic blow of mines closing down and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 in South Africa
Infogram

Scroll through the gallery below to view the latest Covid-19 numbers available on 26 August at the district level. All maps are sourced from provincial health departments. Limpopo, Free State, Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga did not provide an update by the time of publishing:

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Field hospitals are no longer needed in South Africa and some will be dismantled, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on Monday. He said if there is a resurgence in infections, then agreements between provinces and the private health sector will fulfil any bed shortage. This was later reiterated by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who said there would be a temporary suspension on the building of new field hospitals. The money would be redirected to maintain and repair existing facilities.

Nevertheless, as Greg Nicolson writes, some provinces are choosing not to let go just yet for fear of a second surge in Covid-19 infections. The Western Cape has closed two field hospitals and KwaZulu-Natal is considering closing some facilities. However, some field hospitals in Gauteng and Free State will remain for the time being.

Meanwhile, the Western Cape High Court has granted an interim relief stating that the City of Cape Town’s Anti-Land Invasion Unit cannot evict people or demolish their structures without a court order during the State of National Disaster. It ordered that where a court order is obtained, the City of Cape Town must execute it in a lawful and respectful manner. As James Stent reports, the case was brought by the South African Human Rights Commission after the City of Cape Town carried out demolitions and evictions in recently occupied informal settlements.

More than 170 community action networks have been set up in Cape Town over the past five months. These self-organising neighbourhood-level teams have been tackling challenges specific to their area. Now, they write that the City of Cape Town should view them as potential partners to build the city “back better” and not as “threats to their political agendas”.

In Limpopo, mining villages have been turned into “ghost towns” after migrants leave as mines close. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the economic blow for the villages’ permanent residents. As Gilbert Moela writes, the slogan “reimagining mining to improve people’s lives” has left a decidedly bitter taste for the villagers.

The new starting date for the 2021 tertiary education year is between 15 March and 15 April 2021, according to Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande. He had previously said that his department aims for the 2020 academic year to be completed by the end of February 2021. A maximum of 66% of students can now return to campus and universities will decide on their own return strategies.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula reiterated that restrictions on interprovincial travel were lifted, but that long-distance travel (200km or more) was still subject to capacity limits. Four more airports have been reopened, but international travel is still prohibited.

And Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi has said the Unemployment Insurance Fund will restart payment of Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme grants soon. The payments were paused this week while the system was being investigated for alleged “weaknesses”.

The South African Police Service is reportedly investigating fake news spread through social media that the ban on the sale of alcohol will be reinstated this week. It said that spreading fake news is a crime under the Disaster Management Act.

Simultaneously, the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association has reached a settlement with the government over its legal challenge to the ban on the sale of tobacco products. It was agreed that there would be a public participation process if another temporary ban was ever to be imposed. DM/MC

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