Diepsloot township, Johannesburg. Wikipedia
Exclusive: FWM interviews senior South African official on virus risk analysis
In South Africa, the South African Police Service (SAPS) asked their districts' senior detectives to do a risk analysis: can they set up quarantines in densely populated black townships? In an exclusive interview, FWM spoke to an insider in the SAPS.
Published: March 16, 2020, 9:29 am
Johannesburg
The source, who wanted to remain anonymous, said in his district the risk analysis showed that quarantine for a Covid-19 outbreak would be a huge challenge.
“We do not have the manpower,” he explained. Even if they could somehow keep all residents inside their homes — an impossible task, according to him — they would then kill more people with an imposed quarantine than the virus itself.
“They can’t get food, they don’t have access to water and toilets. If Kung Flu gets into the townships, they’re all going to get it. The police will not be able to do anything to stop it,” he said.
Townships include large, sprawling informal settlements nearby in which communities are faced with several social problems. These shacks are built illegally and construction is informal and unregulated by the government. This results in a lack of access to basic services such as sewerage, electricity, roads and clean water, which adversely affects residents’ quality of life.
Because electricity, water and sewerage are managed by different government departments, it has also resulted in inefficiencies in the absence of substantial co-ordination at all stages of the project planning, budgeting, and implementation cycle.
Due to the welcoming immigration policy of the ANC regime, the population of townships typically grow faster than the infrastructure was planned for, causing overloads which result in blockages, surges, and overflows. There are often a limited number of public toilets, which quickly become health hazards and poor access for maintenance activities which is caused by the lack of space between the illegally constructed shacks.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) says its members will continue to operate despite a call by President Cyril Ramaphosa discouraging “non-essential” travel by air, taxis and buses to fight the spread of Covid-19, officially named SARS-CoV-2.
Addressing the country on Sunday night, Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster as the country’s number of infected patients increased to 61. Of these cases, the country’s first local transmission was also registered. All other cases involved people who had travelled to South Africa from overseas.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Africa
South Africa’s infrastructure 30 years after the end of Apartheid
LondonHating South Africa was part of growing up in North London in the 1980s. Pelle Taylor and Patrick Remington from Two Raven Films, recently interviewed South Africans about the decline of the country after Apartheid ended.
Nigerian President: More weapons for Ukraine end up in Africa
LagosSome time ago, FWM reported on arms deliveries to Ukraine, which shortly afterwards were resold on the Internet. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that "weapons used in the war in Ukraine are gradually leaking into the region" and called for strengthened border security.
Namibia sees opportunity to attract German energy refugees
Windhoek"The former German colony, Namibia wants to help Germany in its energy crisis". This is how an article in the online edition of a German newspaper recently began about Namibia's new "Digital Nomad" visa. The six-month visa is ideal for long-term holidaymakers. And for professionals who have their office on their laptop and can work from anywhere.
Uneven global population growth reaches 8 billion
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we celebrated the 8 billionth day* on November 15. The planet's population is still increasing dramatically, albeit at a decreasing pace.
French fuel debacle spills over to Senegal
DakarThe recent events at the French embassy in Burkina Faso were yet another demonstration against France on the African continent after France was ousted from Mali. All it took was a rumour to attract the sympathy of the population and demonstrators to head to the French Embassy.
New South African drone to compete with Turkey’s Bayraktar
PretoriaThe South African defense company Milkor unveiled its Milkor 380 reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is expected to become a competitor to Turkey's Bayraktar and Anka drones.
Bucking the trend: Uganda bans work by LGBT group
KampalaThe Ugandan government has banned the activities of a local non-governmental organization that campaigns for the rights of sexual minorities. According to a senior official, the organization worked illegally in the African country.
South Africa: 82 suspects arrested after a mass rape
KrugersdorpDozens of black men ambushed a film crew at an abandoned mine near Johannesburg on Friday. They raped eight models between the ages of 19 and 35. As they fled, the police shot dead two suspects and 82 other people were arrested.
BRICS expansion on the cards
More and more emerging countries are considering joining the BRICS group, which is seen as the major emerging countries' counterweight to the US-led West and the G7. Especially in times like these, this is also a clear signal to Washington.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.