The ANC in the Eastern Cape has boldly accused the Western Cape government and its farmers of deliberately sabotaging efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19 — an accusation Western Cape officials denied.
The ANC PEC said in a statement on Friday that they welcomed the strides of the provincial government under the leadership of Premier Oscar Mabuyane to slow down the spread of the killer virus, they accused the DA-led province of deliberately sabotaging his efforts.
“The thoroughness of the Eastern Cape government's approach on medical [treatment] has proven to be most effective owing to the reports of the highest numbers of people traced, tested, quarantined and isolated,” provincial ANC secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said.
“We are convinced with the sterling leadership of Mabuyane, that we will achieve the desired outcomes.”
However, the party feared that if people insisted on conducting religious and traditional rituals, the desired flattening of the curve would take even longer to achieve with the risk of more infections.
“We are also convinced that the Western Cape government and farmers in areas surrounding Ceres are deliberately sabotaging all efforts to halt the spread of the virus and are acting deliberately and knowingly.
“This is confirmed by the number of full minibuses ferrying people from the Western Cape into our province without valid permits and breaking lockdown regulations.”
Ngcukayitobi said their alleged actions showed that the Western Cape government was intentionally complicit in the spread of the virus.
“We are gravely concerned with the immoral and reckless conduct of farmers in the Western Cape who continue to exploit their seasonal workers and after making their profits by releasing those workers to fend for themselves without caring about their welfare, their state of health or where they will stay,” Ngcukayitobi said, further accusing the farmers of being racist.
The party wanted the Human Rights Commission to investigate accordingly.
Western Cape premier Alan Winde's spokesperson Bianca Capazorio said Winde, transport and public works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela and the Western Cape police commissioner held a very productive meeting with Mabuyane this week.
Capazorio said transport matters and matters pertaining to seasonal farmworkers were discussed.
“We were able to map the way forward, which included joint operations by law enforcement in both provinces. The Western Cape has permanent roadblocks at all of the major exit routes out of the province, however, many taxis are ferrying people illegally, either using fraudulent death certificates (for funerals) and back routes out of the province.
“The new regulations have allowed seasonal workers and those living in other provinces a once-off opportunity to travel between provinces over the next week.
“We have however appealed to farmworkers in the Witzenberg area specifically, to not leave the province as we consider the area a hotspot,” she said.
Capazorio said the Western Cape government had most certainly not sabotaged the Eastern Cape.
“At no point in the meeting, did the Premier of the Eastern Cape indicate that this was his view,” Capazorio added.
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