Lockdown levels in Gauteng was the biggest conversation by volume on Tuesday, with at least 2,338 mentions, in response to the change in lockdown level proposed for June. High infection rates reported in the Western Cape led to the province trending 8th by volume, with a burst of 74%.

As the Western Cape emerges as South Africa’s coronavirus hotspot, with more than 10,000 of the country’s 17,200 cases, a wide range of hotly contested explanations indicates the danger of comparing conditions in widely differing provinces.

The top three tweets by reach in the Western Cape conversation all spoke about the high infection rate in the province: @life_podcasts noted that the province accounted for 60% of cases of infections, but only 13% of the population. Some quoted Health Minister Zweli Mkhize saying that the Western Cape could be an indication of how the epidemic may progress in other provinces. 

Second by reach in the Cape Town conversation, @faranaaz tweeted a link to a New York Times article attributing the high number of infections in Cape Town to foreign tourists who continued arriving in the city as late as March 2020. This tweet had a reach of 25,516 – with 91 likes and 110 comments. 

A News24 post by Gauteng Premier David Makhura that Gauteng would be likely to move to Level 3 in early June received significant engagement, with over 2,400 likes and 250 comments.  

A tweet by @LadyHe claimed: “Bloemfontein ONLY will remain Level 4 while the rest of Free State will move to Level 3 of lockdown.” This claim has not been verified.

As the debate over lockdown levels gathers momentum, battle lines are being drawn between the citizens of provinces, between citizens and government, and between those for and against the continuation of the lockdown.

To school or not to school

“‘Education” became the second biggest topic by volume on Tuesday after Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga briefed the nation on the reopening of schools for Grades 7 and 12 on 1 June, outlining steps to prepare schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Online discussion by news outlets and social media users over whether schools should be reopened was divided. 

@News24’s 18:19 tweet that schools would be reopening on 1 June was the top tweet by reach, with 960 retweets, 2,400 likes and 1,481 comments, mostly critical of the decision to reopen schools.

Motshekga said proper health and safety protocols would have to be followed on pupil transport: “The department is trying to ensure that pupils sanitise and wear masks on buses.”

Some Twitter users asked whether the minister had ever been on a school bus, and whether she was aware how unlikely it was that young pupils would adhere to regulations. 

@ZikesLatif referred to the now famous “zol” song: “Angie Motshekga doesn’t realise that when learners chew pens, they put saliva on the pens, and then they share those pens.”

Many social media users reflected on global experience: some commentators noted that Germany recently reopened schools and has since reported 80 new coronavirus cases.

@MmusiMaimane tweeted a link to a Business Insider article about 70 new cases reported in France after it reopened schools, and called for caution and thorough preparation. His tweet was retweeted 534 times and liked 1,100 times. The majority of the 667 responses were critical of the government or negative in sentiment. 

Hot wheels

As talk of easing lockdown levels spreads, safety on public transport is becoming a hot topic for many South Africans.  

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula tweeted about a testing campaign for minibus taxi drivers to identify coronavirus infections and underlying health conditions.

While most celebrated the effort, some questioned why this was not done sooner, and how the data would be used. The post was the 6th top post by reach, reaching about 135,000 people yesterday. 

The Western Cape provincial government has collaborated with the taxi industry to create a “Red Dot Service”. Western Cape Minister of Transport and Public Works, Bonginkosi Madikizela, said the service would safely transport essential healthcare workers who were left stranded by limited public transport in the evenings. The service will start with 100 minibus taxis from 1 June, and will also transport people who have tested positive for Covid-19, or are at high-risk of having been exposed to the virus, to isolation and quarantine facilities. DM

The Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change (CABC) is a non-profit organisation incubated at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town.

The CABC aims to effect positive behavioural change for social upliftment and environmental benefit. The main areas of focus are enhancing social cohesion, preventing narrative manipulation, furthering sustainability, managing climate change and improving public health.

Cutting-edge social media analytics are used to identify both progressive and anti-social stances on any theme. Analysts isolate social media conversations and conduct rigorous data analysis to predict trends. 

The CABC stimulates positive social change through engagement, dialogue and advocacy.

www.cabc.org.za