Limpopo political foes join forces to tackle coronavirus
Limpopo’s warring political parties have buried the hatchet for the time being to face a common foe – the coronavirus.
Scenery in the Vhembe district municipality in Limpopo. Picture: Twitter
They are represented in the Limpopo Provincial Command Council, chaired by Limpopo Premier Chupu Mathabatha.
The council held its weekly meeting yesterday.
The meeting was held at the time the province had its first death, with 25 positive cases of Covid-19.
According to Mathabatha, of these cases, Polokwane in the Capricorn District had eight cases.
Lephalale has reported five cases, Thulamela four, Mokgalakwena three, Makhado two and Baphalaborwa and Greater Tzaneen one case each.
The Sekhukhune district, which comprises the towns of Groblersdal, Burgersfort, Marble Hall and Jane Furse, was still to register a case.
Mathabatha said that as of yesterday, 18 people had recovered from Covid-19.
“We launched a massive screening programme for the province in Lephalale on 14 April and we are excited to report that about 10,000 volunteers have been deployed throughout the province,” said Mathabatha.
He claimed that about 100,000 people were screened on the first day of this operation across the province and that about 110 were sent for actual testing.
“The expected wrap-up period of this screening should be completed by 24 April with 1.4 million households expected to have been visited,” he explained.
He said Limpopo has launched a four-digit Covid-19 callback number.
The number to dial is 30775, free of charge between 8am and 4.30pm every day.
Regarding the shortage of water, Mathabatha said: “We have requested 1,322 tankers to store and supply water to our communities. Only 625 have so far been allocated. We are in serious discussions with the national department of water and sanitation to speed up deliveries of water to our people.”
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