DA MP Phumzile Van Damme has expressed concern at the lack of precautionary measures taken to combat the spread of Covid-19 during the dispensing of social grants. The dispensing of the monthly social grants entered its second day on Tuesday and there were long queues at ATMs, Post Office branches and supermarkets. Images of snaking queues have been doing the rounds on social media as people stood in close proximity to each other as they awaited their turn to collect the government supplied social grants.
Given the strict social distancing measures that have been put in place by the government to stop the spread of the virus within the country, Van Damme took to her Twitter account to lament that recipients of the grant have not been educated enough about the critical need for social distancing. Day 2 of social grant collection. Approximately 17 MILLION South Africans receive social grants monthly. These are the poorest & most vulnerable people of our country. The general lack of lack of concern for them during the #COVID19 outbreak has been deeply disappointing.
“People are more concerned about walking their dogs, being “bored” & other frivolities than the 17 million people who not only are at greatest risk of contracting #COVID19 and will be the hardest hit,” wrote Van Damme.
Day 2 of social grant collection. Approximately 17 MILLION South Africans receive social grants monthly. These are the poorest & most vulnerable people of our country. The general lack of lack of concern for them during the #COVID19 outbreak has been deeply disappointing
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) March 31, 2020
Sharing a picture posted on Twitter by video journalist Graeme Raubenheimer, which shows people standing in a long queue, Van Damme said: “Look at this. Have these people been taught about social distancing? #COVID19 precautions? Unlikely. Why aren’t government officials on the ground educating and assisting?”
She added that the fact that many of them were queuing without social distancing, access to hand-washing facilities and masks for the elderly and sick should be headline news. It is a CRISIS. Many live in informal settlements, are ill and disabled. The spread of #COVID19 will be like a wildfire,” Van Damme said.
In other news – Public servants get a salary hike
Certain categories of public servants and some members of the judiciary are smiling all the way to the bank. This after President Cyril Ramaphosa published in a government gazette the determination of salaries and allowances for traditional leaders, judges and magistrates. In his notice published on March 25, those eligible for increases would be backdated to April last year.
The increases of only 3% will be for office bearers who earn above R1.5million, and 4% for those earning below that. The salaries of kings and queens are now set at R1.2m, principal traditional leaders R1.1m, senior traditional leaders R270729 and headmen and head women R116418. Read more
Source: IOL
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