Where is the Gauteng Metro Covid-19 Response?
15 April 2020
It is clear that Gauteng is going to be the epicentre of Covid-19 infections. The province is the most densely populated province and has the most informal settlements.
What is equally clear is that the metros in Gauteng have largely remained silent on their strategies to deal with the financial, economic and health impact of the pandemic.
The task of funding and/or building the infrastructure to quarantine infected people currently lies with municipalities. Experts are advising that the costs per metro could run into the billions of rands, if said facilities will be built at the specification required. Without these facilities, our ability to save the lives of those to be infected will be seriously hindered as will be the ability to contain the spread of the virus, and yet there is no communication about these plans.
Similarly, we are hearing nothing from our metros in Gauteng about their involvement in the rollout of public testing for the virus. When I departed from office, Johannesburg had a fleet of mobile clinics and extended hours of operation for 26 municipal clinics. Despite this, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni remain silent on their plans to capitalise on their primary healthcare infrastructure to combat the spread of Covid-19.
From a financial perspective, there is no question that these Gauteng metros are facing a financial disaster. Reports I have received are already indicating severe reduction in revenue in the month of April and stark projections for the months of May and June. The question on the minds of most residents, is what kind of tariff proposals will these metros put forward for the new financial year and how will these metros make allowance for households that may not be able to meet their rates burden.
A National Treasury Circular published on 30 March 2020, has extended budget approval timelines until 30 days after the lapse or termination of the National State of Disaster. What arises from this are more questions than answers, as these metros were unable to convene meetings in March to table their budgets, and no real form of public consultation is possible under the provisions of the lockdown. Residents of these metros remain in the dark as to what tariffs are proposed for the next financial year, and whether the rumours of steep increases in the face of limited national funding for the response to Covid-19 are true.
Measures to support small and medium-sized businesses, along with informal traders, remain equally secretive in our metros in Gauteng. To date, none of these metros have communicated any measures to ease the pressures on these entities who remain without income and incurring municipal services. Metros have the ability to play a key role, especially in the face of our looming economic crisis, in easing the pressure on these businesses and informal traders.
I will be engaging Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni and demanding, within 30 days, clear public communication in respect of their plans to:
Rollout and fund quarantine facilities for the anticipated rise in Covid-19 infections.
Capitalise on existing clinics, extended hours of operation and mobile clinics.
Mitigate the financial impact of declining revenue in the face of minimal national funding.
Table Tariff Proposals for public consideration that take into account the pressures on household income.
Put in place measures to assist small and medium-sized businesses, individual households along with informal traders to ease the pressure they are experiencing in these times.
It is shocking that, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, our metros in Gauteng have remained silent in respect of their plans to combat the wide-ranging impact on the lives of their residents. Without a coherent approach by these metros, residents in Gauteng is likely to suffer more than is already anticipated as the epicentre of the virus.
Issued by Herman Mashaba, Founder, The People’s Dialogue, 15 April 2020
