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The private sector in the West Rand District Municipality in Gauteng has been earmarked for a major role in the securing of isolation sites for possible Covid-19 coronavirus cases, according to a report presented last week Tuesday.
The district municipality, which covers Mogale City, Merafong City and Randfontein, has identified 11 Covid-19 isolation sites – comprising of 1 175 beds – in partnership with seven private sector entities. Among them are mining companies, private hospitals and a game lodge.
Private entities are expected to provide 1 029 of the identified beds – almost 88% of the total – the municipality planned to have available to accommodate Covid-19 patients in the area.
However, according to the Covid-19 District Command Council report, the hostels at Sibanye Stillwater and Goldfield are still “awaiting transfer.”
The gold mining companies were expected to provide at least 478 beds between them.
The AngloGold Ashante mine hospital already had 450 beds confirmed, making the largest isolation site on the West Rand.
The district, which is home to about 860 613 people.
Among the private hospitals earmarked as isolation sites are Lenmed, Fountain and Fochville, while the Abbey Bailey Game Reserve could provide up to 31 beds.
The others on the list are Dr Yusuf Dadoo District Hospital (65 beds), Leratong Hospital (42 beds), Sterkfontein Hospital (1 bed) and Carletonville Hospital (38 beds).
To date, 63 taxi ranks have been identified and 48 have already been disinfected in collaboration with the provincial department of transport. At least 4 991 taxis have been sanitised, according to the report.
However, the local government has struggled with insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), and sanitisers for essential services staff as well as shortage of disinfectants.
Funding had been requested for the procurement of PPE and sanitising products and the provincial department of transport issued disinfectants and six disinfecting water tanks. The local business sector also donated disinfectants.
According to the report, nine of the 15 commuter rail stations had already been disinfected.
Of the 11 hospitals, six had been sanitised. The district also has 25 shopping centres and malls that need to be disinfected as well as 40 illegal dumping sites that need to be cleared.
The command council identified “insufficient resources to clear illegal dumping”, including landfill sites that are not compliant with the applicable standards.
The Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development has allocated four tipper trucks and two track loader backhoes to resolve the challenges.
The command council said 557 water tanks and 10 water tankers were received from the department of water and sanitation, in 156 informal settlements.
However, this number was still short and it was often “too far to transport water to the rural areas”, thus and additional 30 water tanks have been requested from the department of water and sanitation.
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