21 Jun 2020

The Vice President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, has given Selebi Phikwe District Emergency Operation Centre Committee (DEOC) a pat on the back for its level of preparedness towards fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The district also received accolades from the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kgotla Autlwetse.

Addressing DEOC on June 19, Mr Tsogwane urged the committee to continue working as a team.

He acknowledged that mistakes were bound to happen because COVID-19 was a new phenomenon.

The Vice President assured the committee of government support, indicating that he visited the area to appreciate the district’s achievements and challenges.

The Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Sethomo Lelatisitswe, raised a concern over the increasing number of confirmed positive cases at the borders.He commended Selebi Phikwe leadership for identifying a holding centre for truck drivers to prevent them from coming into contact with the public.

He said the three-bed isolation centre would enable truck drivers to comfortably await their COVID-19 results.

Mr Lelatisitswe informed the meeting that the issue of truck drivers could not be avoided because they brought food and other necessaties into the country while some passed through the country to deliver goods to other countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic, he said, had made drastic changes in the economic and social arena hence the need to adapt to the ‘new normal.’

He said had time had come for the country to make food security a priority to help slash the country’s import bill.

He said the nation should now change gears to embark on commercial farming.

Mr Lelatisitswe thanked all those who made contributions to the COVID-19 Relief Fund and those who contributed in kind to feed communities.

For his part, the town clerk. Mr Stephen Motlogelwa said government departments, Selebi Phikwe Town Council and other stakeholders met weekly to deliberate on COVID-19 and come up with initiatives to mitigate against local transmissions.

The council, he noted, managed to distribute food baskets to deserving members of the community on time and went a step further to ensure that water supply was adequate to enable the community to adhere to the health protocols.

Health inspectors, Mr Motlogelwa noted, also made regular visits to businesses and companies to check compliance on health protocols.

Law enforcement officers, he said, also collaboratively worked together in executing their mandate in relation to COVID-19 regulations. ends