Beach ban will decimate fragile EC Tourism industry
December 15th, 2020
The latest decision to close all Eastern Cape beaches in response to the second wave of Covid-19 infections, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last night, will decimate the province’s fragile tourism industry that is already on the brink of collapse. Businesses who were hoping that the December holiday break would bring a much-needed cash injection after the disastrous first round of lockdown measures, are in despair. Cancellations have already begun …
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Eastern Cape now has highest Covid-19 fatalities in the country
December 9th, 2020 The Eastern Cape has overtaken Gauteng as the province with the highest number of deaths attributed to Covid-19, with 5060 people having tragically lost their lives to this disease. The death toll comes despite having almost half the number of Covid-19 recorded cases than what Gauteng does. Even more concerning is that, on Monday, 7 December, the Eastern Cape epidemiological report indicated that in the previous twenty-four hours, no Covid-19 …
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Resignations plague Livingstone Hospital
December 4th, 2020 Senior management at Livingstone have described the staffing at Livingstone Hospital as a “leaking bucket” with nurses and administrative staff leaving in numbers. Reasons for the mass exodus are simple: Healthcare personnel at the hospital are physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted, and are fearful of losing their lives to the Covid-19 virus. The virus is seemingly more aggressive, with slightly higher mortality rates the second time around and hospital workers …
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EC HIV AIDs programmes devastated by Covid-19 pandemic
December 1st, 2020
As the world commemorates HIV AIDS Awareness Day, it is perhaps fitting to look at the overwhelming impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the lives of those living with HIV AIDS, and the programmes meant to make a difference in the fight against this silent killer. Sadly the Covid-19 pandemic, which has devastated communities and upset economies across the globe, has impacted very severely on our province, our …
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Municipal reserve scores big while tourism businesses suffer
November 27th, 2020 A nature reserve run by the Mhlontlo Local Municipality, which has no board and is unable to provide any financials, has been provided R19 million in Tourism Relief funding, while thousands of tourism SMMEs across the province, in dire need, have not received a cent. This was revealed in a Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEDEAT) report tabled in the Eastern Cape Legislature last week. Even more …
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Humansdorp Field Hospital still not operational as Covid crisis deepens
November 26th, 2020
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic currently ripping through the communities of Kouga Local Municipality, the newly built Covid-19 facility at the Humansdorp Hospital remains closed. Serious questions need to be asked about how this facility could possibly have cost R3,506 million of taxpayers money when the unit is not even brick and mortar, but pre-fabricated panels. In a capable state, this substandard construction would not pass muster as a standard ward, …
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Health Department must communicate as second wave hits Eastern Cape
November 9th, 2020 The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be in full swing in the Eastern Cape, with the Department of Health already severely stretched as hospital admissions increase. The failure to communicate effectively on the continued dangers of this virus is resulting in a high degree of non-compliance. In the DA-administered Western Cape there is a live Covid-19 dashboard, accessible to the public with up to date statistics to …
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Hospital fails to inform family of mother’s death for more than two months
October 26th, 2020 The children of Nomsa Petshe are still reeling from the shock after hearing for the first time on Friday that their beloved mother, who was admitted to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital on 5 August 2020, had passed away on the same day. For two months and eighteen days, they heard not one word from the hospital regarding the condition of their mother, despite leaving not one, but two cell phone contact …
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Excess deaths continue to rise in Eastern Cape
October 22nd, 2020 The number of excess deaths in the Eastern Cape continues to rise, with the latest available data released by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) indicating 10 489 excess deaths. Most of these are in the rural parts of the province. This is the second highest number in the country. Only Gauteng has a higher number of reported excess deaths, at 11 909. My greatest fear is that these …
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Sickening sewage collapse in Addo
October 16th, 2020
The villages of Addo and Kirkwood in the Sundays River Valley have been flooded with untreated sewage, which is leaking out of a poorly maintained and badly managed sewerage system and infiltrating the clean water systems which are intended for domestic use. At the entrance to Valencia, untreated sewage bubbles out of broken pipes and forms a river which eventually flows into the Sundays River. In Aquapark, untreated sewage flows …
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