R100m injected into Bay fight against coronavirus

A total of R100m in funding to fight Covid-19 has been pulled together thanks to big business in Nelson Mandela Bay. 

An ebullient Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane announced the multimillion-rand deal — between VWSA,  the Eastern Cape department of health, the German government, the  Nelson Mandela Bay municipality and the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber  —  during a trip to the Bay on Tuesday.  Mabuyane — who said collaborative efforts were the only way to fight the coronavirus pandemic — was speaking at the launch of a temporary medical facility being set up at an unused VWSA plant in the Neave industrial area in Port Elizabeth.  

While praising the initiatives of the private sector to fight the pandemic, Mabuyane made no bones about the fact that the Bay’s regional office had been lacking in leadership.

“We’re coming from a background where a lot of negative things were said about how things are handled on this side of the province,” he said.

“The presence of our DDG [deputy director-general of health Dr Litha Matiwane] is yielding positive dividends.

“The leadership that has been missing administratively, that was one of our challenges.

“I’ve seen progress and they’ve presented a health turnaround strategy which is quite clear in navigating the challenges we have.

“What we need is firm and effective leadership.

“We must be efficient, we’re working against this with [minimal] resources, which is the reason why business is on board.

“We must be meticulous at all material times and ensure we avoid wastage and fruitless expenditure.”

Matiwane was deployed to the Bay about two weeks ago by health minister Zweli Mkhize to ramp up the metro’s tracing, screening and testing for Covid-19.

This after Mkhize, on April 22,  read the riot act to health MEC Sindiswa Gomba and her administrative staff in a meeting behind closed doors in Port Elizabeth. 

Mkhize, at the time, said the deployment of Matiwane was necessary as the province’s figures simply did not add up. 

Launching the new temporary health facility, Mabuyane said the facility would be used as an overflow medical facility and once fully operational, would accommodate up to 4,000 beds for patients diagnosed with the virus.

VWSA chair and MD  Thomas Schaefer said patients would include high-acuity patients who required oxygenation. 

“The number of people testing positive for the Covid-19 virus continues to rise daily, especially here in the Eastern Cape and specifically in the metro,” he said.

“This is worrying, especially since we [have moved] from level 5 to level 4 lockdown this week.

“It requires us to act swiftly and decisively and to collaborate between business, government and the community.”

Schaefer said VWSA had been working with other local businesses under the leadership of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber to investigate ways to offer much-needed support.

He also announced that the automotive giant had secured grant funding from the German federal ministry for economic co-operation and development (BMZ) for the project. 

“The funding is part of BMZ’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic to support measures by privately owned companies to significantly alleviate the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic in developing or emerging market countries.

“BMZ will provide funding of R107m to support the conversion of the plant as well as the procurement of protective gear [PPE] for staff at regional tertiary hospitals, regional primary care clinics and 49 Covid-19 test centres.

“VWSA will contribute R28m to the project.

“Additionally, VWSA will provide project management for the conversion of the facility and management of the procurement of the critical PPE,” Schaefer said.

Commending VWSA on its efforts, Mabuyane said  that instead of criticising the provincial government, the automotive company had stepped up to help.

The facility will be made available to the government until March 2021.

The department of health and the municipality will be responsible for the management and daily operations.

A dedicated team of trained health workers will be deployed to the facility.

Business chamber CEO Nomkhita Mona said the chamber had set up an internal joint operations committee chaired by chamber president Andrew Muir to craft strategies to help in combating Covid-19.“A number of companies put their hands up to be part of this and VWSA is one of them.

“We’ve made refurbishments at Livingstone Hospital and Provincial Hospital and brought back some wards that were no longer in use,” she said.

Mona said Isuzu Motors had also made available one of  its distribution centres as a PPE storage facility as well as providing trucks to distribute them. 

Acting Bay mayor Thsonono Buyeye thanked businesses in the metro and said the city needed private business to boost the metro’s economy.

“Any delay in partnership between the government and the private sector could have devastating effects on our communities and their livelihoods,” Buyeye said.

Prior to the hospital launch, Mabuyane, accompanied by health officials, met the metro officials and the Sarah Baartman District’s joint committee at the Sound End fire station.

He also visited the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, where 18 patients are in isolation.Mabuyane also visited the Motherwell shopping mall, where he checked whether  social distancing was being observed.