As positive cases breached 400 000 yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a four-week closure of most classrooms as a step to slowing infections.
He made the announcement in a televised address in which corruption in the disbursement of money and other relief intended to ease the Covid-19 burden featured prominently.
Ramaphosa said he had signed a proclamation to enable the Special Investigating Unit to investigate any form of corruption in any government sphere related to Covid-19 relief efforts, and that a special centre had been established to draw on the resources of nine different government institutions to prevent, detect and prosecute corruption.
He said schools would close on Monday until 24 August, except grade 12 classes, which would take a one-week break and return on 3 August, and grade 7s, would who take a two-week break and return on 10 August.
The 2020 school year would extend into next year. Details would be announced by the education department in due course.
The National School Nutrition Programme would continue to operate.
Ramaphosa said South Africa now had the fifth highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world and accounted for half of all the cases in Africa. However, the country ‘continues to have one of the lowest case fatality rates in the world, experiencing far fewer Covid-19 deaths than many countries with similar or even lower numbers of infections’.
Cases grew in South Africa yesterday by 13 104 to a cumulative total of 408 052 (with 236 260 recoveries). Deaths rose by 153 to 6 093.
The highest tally of cases is in Gauteng (148 854), followed by the Western Cape (88 928), the Eastern Cape (69 445) and KwaZulu-Natal (53 406).
On the question of schools, Ramaphosa said: ‘We have taken a deliberately cautious approach to keep schools closed during a period when the country is expected to experience its greatest increase in infections.’
On corruption, he revealed that ‘(at) least 36 cases are currently at various stages of investigation and prosecution’.
‘We are determined that every instance of alleged corruption must be thoroughly investigated, that those responsible for wrongdoing should be prosecuted and that all monies stolen or overpriced are recovered. In order to speed up and strengthen the process of dealing with corruption, I have today signed a proclamation authorising the Special Investigating Unit – the SIU – to investigate any unlawful or improper conduct in the procurement of any goods, works and services during or related to the national state of disaster in any state institution.’
Ramaphosa added: ‘The fight against the coronavirus pandemic is stretching our capabilities and resources to their limit. We are therefore determined that there should be no theft, no wastage and no mismanagement of public funds.
‘The consequences for those who break the law or bypass regulations will be severe. The people of South Africa require nothing less than full accountability from those who have been elected and appointed to serve them.’
In other virus-related news
- Johns Hopkins University reported that, as America continued to grapple with the biggest outbreak in the world, infection numbers were nearing four million. Deaths had risen to more than 143 000. A Reuters tally suggested over 2 600 cases were being reported every hour on average, the highest rate globally. New York, hit hardest at the onset of the outbreak in the United States, continued to have the highest deaths in the country, but infection rates had risen sharply in Florida, California and Texas;
- It was reported yesterday that South Korea had fallen into recession, with gross domestic product contracting in the second quarter by a worse-than-expected 2.9% in year-on-year terms, the steepest decline since 1998. Exports fell by the most since 1963;
- The Australian government revealed its largest budget deficit since World War Two – A$86bn. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said: ‘These deficits reveal the real cost to the budget of protecting lives and livelihoods as result of coronavirus’;
- Chinese state media said a vaccine developed by a Chinese pharmaceutical group could be ready by the end of this year. Liu Jingzhen, chairman of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), said human trials were expected to be completed within the next three months; and
- Worldwide cases reached 15 million, with more than 622 000 deaths.