ANC leaders in the Western Cape have accused their DA counterparts of trying to show up the national government in their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Western Cape is the only province that regularly puts out daily figures of new Covid-19 infections by region — but the numbers often differ from those provided by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). On Wednesday, the NICD had confirmed cases in the Western Cape at 326, while Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said it was 370. The day before, the figures were 325 and 348 respectively.

Two Covid-19 deaths were reported by the province before last weekend, but it turned out one of the deaths was not due to the virus. 

Despite widespread perception that the province jumped the gun announcing the deaths, Winde’s spokesperson Bianca Capazorio said the province’s statement followed the national Department of Health’s statement on the matter: “Our statement also followed theirs when the test results for the second woman were received and the number revised.”

She said the discrepancy came from the province accessing figures directly from laboratories.

“In many instances, there are delays in these results reaching NICD, hence there is a certain time lag between results being formally registered on the system at the national department and the provincial department.”

Efforts were being made to align the numbers, added Capazorio.

Western Cape is currently the only province that allows the sale of cigarettes, provided they are sold “with essential goods”. A clarification on this was issued by MEC for finance and economic opportunities David Maynier on Wednesday, with his spokesperson Francine Higham explaining that this was done in consultation with the SAPS in the province.

Cameron Dugmore, ANC leader in the Western Cape legislature, has accused the DA-led Western Cape government of exploiting the pandemic for electioneering ahead of next year’s local government elections.

“There are elements in the provincial governing party and administration in the Western Cape that want to go it alone on a not-so-subtle mission to show that the Western Cape government is better equipped and skilled to manage the coronavirus pandemic,” said Dugmore.

He accused the DA of trying to sideline his party and not informing it of what was being done: “An international and national health crisis is being manipulated by some into a political campaign with next year’s local government elections in mind.”

 Both the DA and the ANC saw a fall-off in support in Western Cape in last year’s general elections, with the ANC shedding 4.25 percentage points to 28.64% and the DA dropping less sharply by 3.93 percentage points to 55.45%.

The latest inter-party political spat has concerned treatment of a 25-year-old woman in Khayelitsha, one of the first confirmed cases of Covid-19 in a South African township.

Medical experts fear that once the pandemic gets a foothold in densely populated townships, where services and infrastructure are often lacking, it will spread rapidly and endanger lives.

ANC MPL Rachel Windvogel has accused DA health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo of asking the woman and her child to self-quarantine in their home after she tested positive for the virus on Saturday, even though she posed an infection risk to her family and neighbours.

“This caused a panic to both the family and community at large,” Windvogel said in a letter to Mbombo this week. The ANC accused the government of only acting to transfer the woman from the Khayelitsha Hospital into an isolation ward after national Health Minister Zweli Mkhize intervened.

Health department spokesperson Nomawethu Sbukwana, however, said this was untrue and the woman was kept at the Khayelitsha Hospital while “an appropriate isolation facility was being explored”. She said claims by the ANC in the province that they had to intervene to assist the patient were false and added that the woman’s close contacts and members of the community had been screened as well.

Faiez Jacobs, ANC MP for Greater Athlone, said the party’s issue with the provincial government started when Mbombo came out just over two weeks ago, after the province’s first coronavirus case was announced, to declare that the province was ready to deal with the pandemic — days before President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on the matter.

“We felt a bit awkward because national was talking about getting themselves ready and putting the systems in place, and we could see there already, [they were] politicking that they represent a better health system,” he said.

“We picked it up that they were trying to position themselves separate from the national.” He said the ANC wanted a single, national message on the matter.

Capazorio, however, said Winde’s aim was “transparent and honest communication” to build trust between communities and government.

“We took a decision to issue a daily press statement in order to keep members of the media and thus the public constantly updated. The more accurate, transparent and accessible information people have access to the more likely they will remain calm during this pandemic,” she said.

She said leaders should put politics aside “and focus entirely on what is best to protect and serve all people”, adding that Winde and Dugmore have a “good working relationship”.

The province is running a paid-for media campaign to raise awareness, including radio ads on 29 radio stations in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa; SMSes; social media; distribution of 1.3 million pamphlets by provincial departments and local governments; 15,500 posters; print campaigns in community newspapers, and pamphlets in Braille.

Capazorio said the province was following this up with research to understand whether people were changing their behaviour as a result of the awareness campaign.

“During periods of uncertainty and threat, it is especially important to communicate often,” she said. DM