Wednesday, 14 October - DAILY NEWS SUMMARY
Pretoria News (www.pretorianews.co.za) Page 2 – RAF wants time to pay debts Page 3 – Stamp of disapproval for plan
The Star (www.iol.co.za)
Page 1 – A RACIAL EMERGENCY
Page 4 – Illness stalls Covid-19 vaccine trial
Business Day (www.businesslive.co.za) Page 2 – Pace of mining contraction slows Page 4 – African women err by cosying up to US
Citizen (www.citizen.co.za) Page 3 – ANC vs ANC
Page 5 – Foreigners ‘left in jail’
연합뉴스 (www.yonhapnews.co.kr)
남아공 봉쇄령 200일 넘겨…"끝내야" 목소리 높아
RAF wants time to pay debts
With entity in financial straits, chief executive Letsoalo asks court for 180-day extension
Pretoria News
14 Oct 2020
ZELDA VENTER [email protected]
THE ROAD Accident Fund (RAF) is in such a dire financial position, that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, that it is now asking for the court to grant it an extension of 180 days to pay its debts.
Its chief executive, Collins Letsoalo, said in papers filed at the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, that he knew this was an extraordinary order to ask, but times were difficult and it was in the public interest for the RAF to continue with its work.
The application, still to be heard, was prompted after a law firm obtained a writ of execution order against the RAF to sell its movable property.
The sheriff earlier removed movable property such as computers and furniture from one RAF office in Tshwane in a bid to sell the property and to pay RAF victims who had obtained orders in their favour. But the RAF has now said in its papers if its property was taken, it could not do its work. Thus, it also could not pay its dues.
The RAF is asking the court to place any orders it makes in favour of claimants waiting to be paid on ice for 180 days to give it some breathing space, without its equipment and office supplies being taken.
Letsoalo said the RAF had not been spared the economic strain caused to the country by the pandemic.
Thus, he said, it was in a dire financial position and its liabilities continued to grow. If the situation was not managed by a 180-day reprieve, there was a real risk of the RAF collapsing financially or completely. This would cause the RAF to be unable to pay anyone who was injured in a vehicle accident.
Letsoalo said the RAF acknowledged its obligations to the country’s citizens and the fact that this was an extraordinary application. But, he said, if the situation was not so dire, he would not have launched this application.
He said this would only be a temporary measure until the RAF was back on its feet.
While he was aware that the public may turn to the court to enforce payment, the remedy was not to attach the RAF property and thus leave it unable to work and face collapse.
“The losers will be the victims of vehicle accidents,” he said.
The RAF asked the court also to order it report back within 12 months regarding its financial position so that it could be decided whether this special disposition should remain in place, if granted.
After a law firm attached the RAF furniture and other items last month at its largest branch in Menlyn, the RAF launched an application for the sheriff to return it.
The court earlier granted an interim order in which it said the law firm and the sheriff must state reasons by October 28 why the goods should not be permanently returned. The items have in the meantime been returned to the RAF.
While goods were also removed by law firms at the RAF East London and Cape Town offices due to non-payment of claims, similar applications were issued in those jurisdictions.
The application by a leading Joburg law firm to have the RAF liquidated and another for Letsoalo to be removed as chief executive were yesterday removed from the roll.
Judge Ronel Tolmay called the matter in the urgent court and said there were no court papers in the file.
Maponya Attorneys, which launched the application, said yesterday it was not ready to proceed.
In that case the law firm will argue that the fund is insolvent as it owed them R20.6 million in fees.
Letsoalo, in his opposing papers, did not deny the RAF had liabilities, but said the application was defective as it was impossible for a court to order the end of the entity.
Thus, he said, the financial position of the RAF was irrelevant.
Stamp of disapproval for plan
Parliamentarians unhappy as yet another strategy to mend Post Office mess is submitted
Pretoria News
14 Oct 2020
MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA LONG WALK
THE SA Post Office came under fire from parliamentarians when it came up with yet another turnaround plan to deal with its financial troubles.
This comes after the Post Office, accompanied by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, made a presentation to the communications portfolio committee.
Briefing the committee, NdabeniAbrahams said they were aware the Post Office had not been doing very well amid its financial and leadership challenges. She said money had been
injected into the Post Office by the government to implement turnaround strategies.
“These matters have come to the portfolio committee and the board has tried to work on a corporate strategy including the turnaround plan to change the status quo.”
The minister told MPs of the reconfiguration of entities under her department, that they should respond to the department’s mandate and that Postbank would be separated from the Post Office, among other things.
Ndabeni-Abrahams also said they would have to look at areas to improve on service.
“We filled the position of CFO (chief financial officer), which was vacant for too long. We filled board positions due to resignations. These interventions are to ensure stability at leadership.”
Acting board chairperson Catharina Van der Sandt said Covid-19 had devastated the Post Office’s financial situation.
“We have seen our revenue in quarter one not covering our salary bill. We are seeing slow recovery of revenue.”
Van der Sandt said the appointment of the chief executive and CFO would be instrumental in the implementation of the turnaround plan.
Acting chief executive Reneilwe Langa said the turnaround would help the Post Office stabilise.
“We have acknowledged that the Post Office does need a longer term turnaround plan which we will work on when we organise a corporate plan for the next financial year.”
Focus was on revenue generation, cost reduction and financial stability.
“Due to lockdown regulations the performance of the Post Office has deteriorated. This current turnaround plan is a recovery plan that will assist it while we work on a longer term plan.”
Langa also said cash flow remained a challenge to the point where they could not honour their statutory payments and commitments relating to agreement with labour.
In terms of the turnaround plan the Post Office wants to launch owner-managed branches, owner-driver models for the courier service, establish partnerships with investors to
recapitalise and revive courier and logistics business as well as modernise the traditional Post Office.
Langa, however, said it was key for the Post Office to acquire funding.
“The Post Office has already made an application to the National Treasury for funding. We made an application through the budget adjustment and process,” she said.
DA MP Cameron Mackenzie said the Post Office was in a shambles because of Ndabeni- Abrahams.
“It is you who created the crisis at the Post Office with interference in the operations of this entity and the board,” MacKenzie said.
He had lost count of the turnaround plans produced in the last six years, he said.
Mackenzie noted that the only new thing in the plan was the driverowner partnerships.
ANC MP Lesiba Molala also said they had seen many turnaround strategies at the Post Office even though the latest was bandied around as a short-term strategy.
Molala wanted to know if the funding requested from the National Treasury was related to the turnaround plan.
A RACIAL EMERGENCY
EFF and AfriForum on collision course in volatile Senekal
The Star Early Edition
14 Oct 2020
SIVIWE FEKETHA and GIFT TLOU
| REUTERSPOLICE Minister Bheki Cele speaks to farmers during a meeting in the Free State. Cele and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo also met the family of murdered farm manager Brendin Horner.
ONGOING racial tensions are set to intensify in volatile Senekal in the Free State this week as the EFF and AfriForum prepare to square off and stage separate protest actions in the farming town.
Senekal has been plagued by racial tensions over the death of a young white farm manager, Brendin Horner, who was murdered earlier this month.
Last week, white farmers went on a rampage and violently stormed the magistrate’s court, where the two suspects accused of killing Horner appeared, before damaging police vehicles and burning one of them outside the court.
The incident has heightened racial tensions in the area and resulted in protests by political formations in the area.
This also triggered a national debate on how police seemed to treat protests along racial lines, with many people pointing to the heavy-handedness they applied in #FeesMustFall campaign and Marikana Massacre.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo visited Senekal yesterday where they met with organised farming structures and community representatives as part of quelling the ongoing tensions in the area.
Cele and Dlodlo also visited Horner’s home where they expressed their condolences to the family.
Yesterday, EFF leader Julius Malema reiterated that his party was planning to paint the small farming town red this Friday to protect state property from white protesters, which he
accused the police of failing to do.
Speaking outside the Randburg Magistrate’s Court where he and EFF MP Mbuyiseni Ndlozi were facing charges of assault against a police officer, Malema accused the police of being scared of white people for letting them engage in vandalism.
“You cowards allowed white people to burn your cars. You are cowards. We are not cowards.
We are getting them come Friday. And there is no one who can stop us,” he said.
Malema said that the EFF would not be in Senekal to protect those accused of the killing of Horner but to confront white arrogance.
“We have no business with murderers. That black man who killed a white man must go and rot in jail. It is not our problem. We do not protect criminals but we will never allow white men to show us what they showed (Nelson) Mandela during the negotiations.
“That thing must have ended there. That white arrogance should have ended there,” he said.
AfriForum has, however, announced that it would also be heading to the same area to stage its own protest action against farm murders and violence.
The organisation said in a statement that it had resolved to hold the protest to ensure that “the voice of the peaceful majority, that want to show their anger and dissatisfaction about the acts of terrorism on farms in an organised manner, is not silenced by a small group of instigators and the provocative behaviour of the EFF”.
AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel accused the country’s “safety services” of being behind the violent rampage by farmers, adding that the state had “deployed a small group of agents provocateurs to storm the court” to discredit a peaceful march that was organised against farm murders.
“It was observed that at least five men were placed strategically in the crowd and made inflammatory remarks.
“These men continuously communicated with each other on their cellphones and some even wore masks completely covering their faces to hide their identity.
“When a small group incited by this inflammatory behaviour stormed the courtroom, these men ran to their vehicles and drove away,” said Kriel.
Meanwhile, Andre Pienaar, 51, the only farmer who was arrested for the violent rampage in the town last week, was denied bail yesterday in the Senekal Magistrate’s Court.
He is charged with attempted murder after he discharged a firearm when he forcefully entered the court along with other protesting farmers. They also damaged police vehicles.
In their meeting with farmers in Bethlehem, Cele and Dlodlo were given 21 days to come up with a tangible plan on how to deal with farm attacks.
Farmer Fani Mashinini said they lived in fear and that their livestock were decreasing by the day.
“There is no security for us whatsoever. We are on our own. Whenever I see something on the farm I have to make sure that I call other local farmers so that they could accompany me to go check what is happening.”
Mashinini, who has more than 200 cows, said the level of livestock theft was alarming.
“The cows keep on reducing. The farm criminals seem to be smart. It’s very worrying for us because we can’t move our livestock freely.”
Jess de Klerk, another farmer, said that the farming syndicates were well organised
“They use dogs to hunt, and the dogs are also used as scouts,” he said.
Illness stalls Covid-19 vaccine trial
The Star Early Edition
14 Oct 2020
TEBOGO MONAMA [email protected]
RESEARCHERS at the University of Cape Town (UCT) had to put the brakes on a Covid-19 trial that was supposed to start this week after a participant in the international study got sick.
The international Johnson & Johnson Ad26.Cov2-S phase three study has been paused after a participant fell ill with an unexplained illness. This is the second Covid-19 trial to be paused because of a sick participant. Last month, the AstraZeneca trial was paused after a participant in the UK leg of the study fell ill, also from a mysterious illness. After investigations, the trial was reinstated.
Locally, the Johnson & Johnson study is being done in partnership with UCT. Professor Glenda Gray, president and chief executive of the SA Medical Research Council and the protocol chairperson of this trial, said they were hoping to get between 10 000 and 12 000 participants in 31 sites across the country. Internationally, it has about 60 000 participants, in the US, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
“They paused it at a global level. The important thing to realise is that participants’ safety is paramount. While they are investigating it (the illness), it is safer to pause the global study until we know what is going on. It is hard to justify continuing,” Gray said.
In a statement announcing the pause, Johnson & Johnson said: “Adverse events – illnesses, accidents, etc. – even those that are serious, are an expected part of any clinical study,
especially large studies. We must respect this participant’s privacy. We’re also learning more about this participant’s illness, and it’s important to have all the facts before we share
additional information.”
Gray said the study team was still trying to investigate whether the participant was on the placebo or the vaccine. Once the illness was evaluated, a decision whether to continue or not would be made.
Gray said what the team discovered would influence whether the local study, which was supposed to start this week, would continue or not.
She said it was important to protect participants.
“We now need to know if this illness is related to the vaccine.”
Pace of mining contraction slows
• Economists say recovery will be challenged by long-standing local issues
Business Day
14 Oct 2020
Lynley Donnelly Economics Writer [email protected]
The pace of contraction in annual mining production eased off in August as both the local and global economy opened up further, hinting that the industry may be one of the first to regain some of the ground lost to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
The contraction in SA’s mining production eased in August, offering a hint that the industry may be one of the first to regain some of the ground lost to the coronavirus lockdown.
But economists warn that the recovery is likely to come up against the long-standing structural issues that plagued mining before the pandemic, including uncertainty over electricity supply and tariff increases.
The industry contributes about 7% of GDP, but its share has been steadily declining in recent years.
Annual mining production shrank by a less-than-expected 3.3% in August, down from July’s revised fall of 6.5% and June’s decline of 25.3%, Stats SA data showed on Tuesday.
But both the monthly, seasonally adjusted data, which showed growth of 6.8% between July and August, as well as the 27.5% growth in the three months to end-August, was more positive “and shows that it ’ s not only us opening up but also the rest of the world getting back to business”, Maarten Ackerman, chief economist at Citadel, said.
Improved demand from China, one of the key destinations for SA minerals, as well as improved global commodity prices, are helping boost the local industry, Ackerman said, but added, “we shouldn’t think that this trend will continue or stay this strong.”
The rebound seen in global economic activity is likely to slow down as large fiscal stimulus measures applied in countries around the world, run their course, he said.
On a local level, the rebound will come up against the “same structural issues” it faced before the coronavirus crisis, including power supply problems, labour flexibility, as well as the cost pressures facing local mines — many of which are old, deep and expensive to mine,
Ackerman said.
The August print suggested that mining “looks to be one of the sectors that has very quickly been able to recoup the losses that were experienced in the second quarter owing to the lockdown and Covid-19”, said BNP Paribas senior economist Jeff Schultz.
“Terms of trade remain historically favourable, the rand remains historically weak, Chinese demand is picking up — for as long as that continues the mining sector will reap the
benefits,” Schultz said.
But he said this comes with an important caveat: structural challenges in the economy — most notably power supply constraints and uncertainty over electricity costs as Eskom is in the midst of court challenges to tariff decisions by the National Energy Regulator of SA.
“While we can be encouraged by the robust bounce back in the mining sector, we are also quite cautious on the mediumterm outlook because of these structural rigidities,” he said.
Momentum Investment’s economist Sanisha Packirisamy was similarly cautious, particularly given questions over whether the recovery in global growth will be sustained.
On the local front, she said, power supply continues to haunt the sector and though mining firms are willing to generate their own power regulatory and licensing constraints remain a hurdle to reducing their reliance on Eskom.
WHILE WE CAN BE ENCOURAGED BY THE ROBUST BOUNCE BACK WE ARE ALSO QUITE CAUTIOUS ON THE MEDIUMTERM OUTLOOK
African women err by cosying up to US
Business Day
14 Oct 2020
ISMAIL LAGARDIEN Lagardien, a visiting professor at the Wits University School of Governance, has
worked in the office of the chief economist of the World Bank, as well as the secretariat of the National Planning Commission.
That great book The Leopard , a work of fiction by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles changes in Sicilian life and society during the Risorgimento, contains a marvellous passage that never seems to go stale. At a decisive point in the story, the young Tancredi Falconeri tells Prince Fabrizio, his uncle: “Everything must change so that everything can stay the same.”
In August, there were eight candidates to replace Roberto Azevêdo, who stepped down as secretary-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at end-August.
By September, the race had been whittled down to two African women who, it seemed, were falling over their feet to ingratiate themselves with the US. Looking back, it may have been a tactical mistake.
Nigeria’s Ngozi OkonjoIweala and Kenya’s Amina Mohamed looked to the old guard —“the West”, especially the US — to “approve” their candidacy. Should this happen, I wrote at end- September, it would signal a seismic shift for several reasons. I provided details of how “the West” had self-selected in almost every appointment or leadership position that mattered, or held veto power over a “nonWestern ” candidate.
An African woman at the head of arguably the most powerful international organisation (when it is run effectively and efficiently) would mark a historic change. What was it that Tancredi told his uncle? “Everything must change so that everything can stay the same.” The problem is that China has also read the book, in a manner of speaking, and meaningless change — to maintain the status quo — was not going to take place.
The contest to replace Azevêdo comes while the international trade regime is under intense scrutiny and pressure from an increasingly nationalistic and antiglobalist Washington. In effect, the world is drifting along leaderless, as World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reminded us on Monday.
Indeed, the leader of the global political economy, lender of last resort and militarily the world ’ s most powerful country is abandoning its leadership role. Washington, Donald Trump in particular, has claimed that the WTO has failed to restrain Chinese state capitalism, and suggested it has been too lenient on China.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to “do something about the WTO because they’ve let China get away with murder ”. This was echoed by US trade representative Robert Lighthizer on September 15 when he declared: “The WTO is completely inadequate to stop China’s harmful technology practices. The US must be allowed to defend itself against unfair trade practices, and the Trump administration will not let China use the WTO to take advantage of American workers, businesses, farmers and ranchers.”
At the start of the race to replace Azevêdo, the two main African candidates (both highly competent people) swiftly slipped behind the US, hoping that would give their candidacy a lift. But they paid insufficient attention to ecostrategic shifts in global power. Enter Yoo Myung-hee of South Korea. The African candidates had failed to get a grip on the historical forces at work in the early 21st century. Yoo may not get the appointment, but China wants to have a say in the matter.
Of course, we should not rush to conclude that just because Yoo is Korean she would be China’s candidate. That is way too simple a conclusion in this bewildering interregnum. In Geneva’s diplomatic circles, the two African women were the standout candidates, and one of them may yet get the post before the year end. Still, Yoo may have entered the race at a late stage, but she is a formidable candidate.
Last week, she swiftly, eloquently and insightfully explained that rising protectionism and Covid-19 pose a “grave threat” to supply chains and the free flow of goods and services. On this basis, WTO members agreed that a capable (new) directorgeneral, “who can deliver successful outcomes at this very critical point of time” is of vital importance to breathe new life into the apparently dormant organisation.
Yoo does not want the sympathy vote. She is the only candidate who serves as a trade minister after a long diplomatic and political career. Speaking to the Financial Times last week, she explained that the global pandemic crisis offers an opportunity for companies to strengthen and diversify trade networks. “It can go either way
… countries can adapt measures to restore or localise supply chains, or countries can diversify their suppliers to make them more resilient.”
While it remains likely that a woman will be the next leader of the WTO, we should not discount a late re-entry by Liam Fox as Britain’s candidate. The task ahead will keep the next secretary-general very busy for at least the next four years.
YOO ELOQUENTLY AND INSIGHTFULLY EXPLAINED RISING PROTECTIONISM AND COVID-19 POSE A GRAVE THREAT TO SUPPLY CHAINS
ANC vs ANC
NATIONAL GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING: POSSIBLY MAKE OR BREAK
The Citizen (Gauteng)
14 Oct 2020
Eric Naki – [email protected]
The battlelines have been drawn ahead of the yet-to-be-scheduled national general council meeting of the ANC, with the factions supporting either Cyril Ramaphosa or Jacob
Zuma/Ace Magashule primed for what could be a make-or-break fight.
Things get ugly between Ramaphosa and Zuma/Magashule factions.
The gloves are coming off as the Cyril Ramaphosa and Jacob Zuma/Ace Magashule camps in the ANC resume their public fight, while the party heads towards its yet-to-be-scheduled national general council (NGC).
Now that the Covid-19 emergency is subsiding, the feuding factions are taking aim at each other, well aware that the NGC meeting could be a “make or break” affair for President Ramaphosa or the radical economic transformation (RET) lobby loyal to Zuma and now fronted by ANC secretary-general Magashule.
If there is a move to oust Ramaphosa, it will come at the NGC and, by the same token, the meeting could be the death knell of the RET faction.
Magashule mobilised MK veterans in an impromptu street rally yesterday outside the ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal office in Durban a day after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula lashed out at the Magashule-aligned faction of the military veterans.
He was accompanied by MK Military Veterans’ Association chair, Kebby Maphatsoe.
On Monday the two ANC camps faced off in what began as a protest march by a faction of MK military veterans aligned to Magashule.
The MK veterans demanded Mbalula be arrested for allowing the country’s rail infrastructure to be looted – but that was merely a pretext for an all-out assault on behalf of the Zuma faction, calling for the resolutions from the Nasrec conference in 2017 to be implemented.
That demand has been the rallying call of the Zuma loyalists
With his back against the wall, Ace will be happy to lead the that faction.
ANC source
since his ousting at Nasrec,
An ANC source said the protests by the veterans was neither a coincidence, nor innocent, but a mobilisation by Zuma camp, headed by Magashule.
“Magashule is organising support for himself should he be arrested. He knows that the Hawks are hovering over him and he will need to have a crowd in court,” the source said.
The source said the MK veterans ambitiously wanted to elevate Magashule to take over and lead the Zuma faction because he has no real grassroots support like Zuma.
“With his back against the wall, Ace will be happy to lead the that faction. At the moment they are leaderless and Nkosazana [Dlamini-Zuma] is not a factionalist, they don’t like that,”
the ANC source said.
Mbalula called the veterans’ leaders, Kebby Maphatsoe and Carl Niehaus, “thugs” and said he did “not fear them”.
Although he was immediately called to order by the ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe, he did not withdraw his tweets, nor his media statement in which he continued to lash out at Maphatsoe and Niehaus.
Mbalula extended the fight to Magashule and not for the first time. The two, both from the Free State are sworn enemies who had been at each other’s throats on several occasions.
The latest public spat was seen as preparation of the ground for a real battle of the titans towards the next NGC.
It was initially scheduled for last June but had to be postponed due to outbreak of Covid-19.
The postponement came as the Magashule group – led by Niehaus – were preparing to turn up the heat on Ramaphosa at the NGC, where they planned to call for a motion of no confidence against him.
But the Ramaphosa camp was preparing to defend him. They maintained that the NGC was not about the change of leadership or elections but to look at party policies and progress made regarding resolutions of the previous conference.
Political analyst Andre Duvenhage said Magashule knew that the police would be after him at some stage, so he began mobilising the ANC youth and women’s leagues in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
In a sharply worded address at a special provincial executive meeting, ANC Eastern Cape chair Oscar Mabuyane warned that he would act against party members “casting doubt on the judiciary”.
During his opening address at the meeting on Monday, Mabuyane did not mince his words, condemning what he said appeared to be an “organised bloc or splinter group within the ANC parading themselves as radical economic transformation [RET] contingents”.
“This highest form of ill-discipline that is hell-bent at undermining the leadership of the ANC elected at the 54th national conference should be confronted and defeated.
“It is important that we remind comrades that our conference resolved that we publicly disassociate ourselves from anyone, whether business donor, supporter or member, accused of corruption or reported to be involved in corruption.
“We will therefore be compelled to take action against those that continue to undermine our resolution on corruption and wrongdoing. This includes members of the ANC that are actively mobilising against the rule of law and casting doubt on our judiciary without substantiation or facts,” he said.
Foreigners ‘left in jail’
CLAIM: RELEASE ON PAROLE IS OVERDUE BUT SA CITIZENS ARE LET OUT
The Citizen (Gauteng)
14 Oct 2020
Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni – [email protected]
Correctional services department points to restrictions on repatriation due to Covid-19.
Dozens of imprisoned foreign nationals who are up for parole at the Modderbee Correctional Facility in Springs have told of a horrible year spent in jail despite their releases being overdue.
This prison, which has been embroiled in corruption and financial mismanagement allegations since 2017, some of which have been linked to state capture accused company Bosasa, is now being accused of refusing to release foreign national prisoners, who were initially stuck because of Covid-19.
A prisoner, who claimed to represent over 100 inmates from countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Brazil and who did not want to be named, reached out to The Citizen to explain their plight. Most of them had the same parole date: 26 March, 2020, but have not been released.
Initially, because of the lockdown restrictions on Level 5, there was a moratorium placed on certain parolees. Foreign nationals had the added challenge, if they were to be deported, of then not being able to be admitted to the Lindela Repatriation Facility.
“They promised us we will go out at Level 1. [When] Level 1 came, they changed the story and said East Rand Home Affairs would come and take us to Lindela, but they didn’t.
“When a Covid-19 outbreak emerged at the repatriation facility, there was no indication of how much longer the Modderbee prisoners had to wait. Every day, these prisoners would watch another South African go home,”
It’s like they’re discriminating, or profiting from us.
he said. “Here in Modderbee, we are now more than 100 foreign nationals who were
supposed to go out but are still in prison and some of us we arrested for something we didn’t commit.
“Nigerians, Mozambicans, Zimbabweans, Angolans, Congolese and Brazilians. It’s like they’re discriminating, or profiting from us.”
Last week, the Gauteng department of correctional services replied to questions on this issue, claiming to have diligently applied its Covid-19 disaster management response strategy across all centres, including placing of parolees in selected categories of sentenced offenders in accordance with Section 84(2) of the constitution of South Africa.
“The allegations that a number of foreign nationals were not released is not true.
“Modderbee has released 219 foreign nationals who were eligible for parole,” said department spokesperson Zandile Mabunda.
She said offenders were screened for the novel coronavirus before they could be released.
“We are working with the department of home affairs, which assists with the repatriation.
“Due to Covid-19 regulations, restrictions on repatriation of foreigners was in place during Levels 5 to 2 due to the restrictions on crossing borders to other countries and these
restrictions still apply in other countries.”
The department said 85 foreign nationals were due to be considered for parole. Of them, 67 offenders had been documented by home affairs in preparation for repatriation. The
remaining 18 applications were scheduled for documentation this week.
Foreign prisoners’ representative
남아공 봉쇄령 200 일 넘겨…"끝내야"
목소리 높아
송고시간 2020-10-13 18:58
록다운 200일 넘긴 남아공
[일간 더시티즌 캡처, 재판매 및 DB 금지]
(요하네스버그=연합뉴스) 김성진 특파원 = 남아프리카공화국에서 신종
코로나바이러스 감염증(코로나 19)을 막기 위한 록다운(봉쇄령)이 200 일을 넘겼다.
13 일(현지시간)로 록다운 201 일째를 맞은 남아공에선 연장된 봉쇄령을 당장 완전히 끝내야 한다는 목소리가 야당뿐 아니라 전문가들 사이에서도 높아지고 있다고 현지 일간 더시티즌이 전했다.
록다운 연장의 법적 근거가 된 국가재난사태 시한은 15 일로 다가왔다.
시릴 라마포사 남아공 대통령은 15 일 대국민 담화를 할 예정이다.
국가재난사태는 지난 3 월 선포돼 8 월에 마지막으로 연장된 바 있다.
코로나 19 제 2 차 파동에 대한 우려는 라마포사 대통령이 경제 재개에 대한 날짜를 발표해야 한다는 목소리에 묻혔다. 남아공의 일일 신규 확진은 8 월에 안정화되고, 록다운 비판론자들은 경제에 중요한 산업들이 갑작스러운
셧다운으로 황폐해졌다고 말한다.
거버넌스 전문가인 알렉스 밴덴히버 교수는 남아공이 더 이상이 국가재난사태 하에 작동할 필요가 없다고 말했다.
그러면서 팬데믹(전염병의 세계적 대유행)에 관한 남아공 지위는 현 단계에서 보건법을 통해 관리될 수 있다고 덧붙였다.
이반 투로크 프리스테이트대학 국가연구재단 연구교수 등은 최근 보고서에서 록다운이 지역간 빈부 격차를 심화시켰고 특히 도농 지역 간에 그러하다고 밝혔다.
보고서에 따르면 전반적으로 경제 위기가 교외 지역보다 가난한 도심 사회를 더 타격해 흑인 타운십과 비공식 주거지의 실업률이 지난 6 월 42∼43%에 달한 데 비해 교외 지역은 24%로 대조적이었다.
밴덴히버 교수는 남아공의 약체 정부는 록다운을 또 연장해 관리할 행정력을 갖고 있지 않다고 지적했다.
그는 "정부는 생존하기 위해 작동하는 경제를 필요로 한다"면서 정부가 봉쇄령 단행의 명분으로 내세웠듯 이익보다 생명이 우선이라는 식의 이분법 문제가 아니라고 설명했다. 그러면서 "요점은 이것(경제 활동)이 우리의 생계라는 점"이라고 강조했다.
야당인 민주동맹(DA)은 8 월 3 단계 록다운이 끝난 이후부터 경제 재개를 촉구해왔다.
라마포사 대통령의 대국민 담화가 다가옴에 따라 DA 지도자인 존
스티엔허이센은 라마포사 대통령이 연설 당일 15 일 록다운을 끝낼 것을 요청했다.
남아공 보건부에 따르면 12 일 기준 코로나 19 신규 확진자는 888 명이고 누적 확진자는 69 만 3 천 359 명이다.
사망자는 83 명이 더해져 총 1 만 7 천 863 명이다. 완치율은 90%이다.
