Cape Town - Premier Alan Winde will today set out the province’s plans for the expected third wave of Covid-19 infections and tell the province that the health department has now started approaching suppliers directly for a vaccine.
In an leaked excerpt from his State of the Province Address (SOPA) to be delivered at the Emil Weder High School Hall in Genadendal this morning, Winde will say: “In the first step towards procurement, our provincial treasury has also taken the necessary steps to budget for this contingency, and further announcements will be made in the budget speech next month.”
“This provincial procurement does not mean we are at odds with the national government. We have shown throughout this pandemic that we take the constitutionally enshrined principle of co-operative governance seriously.”
Winde will use the speech to warn against corruption related to the vaccine saying: “Corruption is not tolerated in this province. And I will personally lay charges against any person in our government that tries to steal from the people.”
On the third wave, the speech says: “While it is not possible to know precisely when this third wave will start, a surge will likely take place in our winter. To ensure we are prepared for this we have a comprehensive plan.”
The plan includes ensuring the continuation of prevention behaviour and rapidly upscaling testing to ensure that those with Covid-19 are identified.
“The third part of this response will be to retain a core field hospital capacity in the province and the fourth part of this plan includes making available additional acute care capacity at our hospitals, through repurposing beds for Covid-19 patients as the demand is required.”
Meanwhile, looking ahead to the speech provincial leader of the opposition Cameron Dugmore said: “We expect Premier Winde to ignore the president’s four priorities announced during Sona and refuse to embrace equity, redress and Black Economic Empowerment which is aimed at benefiting historically coloured, African and Indian owned businesses in the province in general and Overberg in particular.”
Dugmore said: “He will not say anything about practical plans for land redistribution in the Overberg. He will remain silent on reversing apartheid spatial planning in the province.”
Good party MPL Brett Herron said: “Premier Winde's SOPA will once again seek to position the DA-led province as more competent and less corrupt than the ANC-led country.
“It is an extremely low bar strategy that has worked for the DA for a number of years. It has worked because of the ANC's well-proven record of incompetence and malfeasance.”
“But it is an unsustainable strategy because it doesn't translate into better housing delivery. It has no impact on the culture of gangsterism which is the lived experience of so many of our people. It doesn't lead to cleaner or safer streets. It doesn't put food on tables, and it doesn't give people their dignity back. It is just spin and hot air,” said Herron.
FF Plus MPL Peter Marais said: “If Premier Winde does not speak or say anything regarding the DA's policy on BBBEE, land reform and expropriation, they will be in deep trouble with coloured and white voters.”
“I am hoping that the premier will announce plans to empower and sufficiently train coloured/Khoi farmers to enable them to become commercial and not mere subsistence farmers. We are becoming extremely restless and fed up,” said Marais.
Cape Argus