Power Town residents and Sonskynvallei Backyard Dwellers in Mossel Bay To Become Homeowners
Tomorrow, 02 October 2020, Minister Tertuis Simmers will hand over the first 5 completed houses of the Sonskynvallei Integrated Residential Development Programme (IRDP) phase 3 housing project in Mossel Bay. Sixty-seven (67) year old Mr Piet Kammies will be one of the 5 beneficiaries that will receive their new homes.
The Sonskynvallei housing project phase 3 consists of 96 Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses and 616 serviced sites with the budget of R 35 400 540.00. Phase 1 consists of upgrading of existing 210 houses and phase 2 consists of 152 houses. A total of 105 beneficiaries from Power Town and 47 beneficiaries from Sonskynvallei backyard dwellers have already been relocated to the 152 houses of phase 2.
Phase 3 of this project is expected to be completed by November 2020. It will accommodate beneficiaries from Power Town which is situated in an area of flood plain and the Sonskynvallei backyard dwellers who have been waiting for a long time for a housing opportunity with the Mossel Bay Municipality.
The tourism and hospitality sector’s survival is dependent on international leisure travellers in the summer season and for this reason it is critical that we look at smart ways to open our international borders, especially for our key source markets, so that we can save jobs and save the economy in the Western Cape.
And so, we will be engaging with national government and preparing a further submission proposing an alternative to the risk-based approach for international travel.
We believe firmly that the safety precautions of a 72 hours PCR test and screening protocols should be applied across the board, regardless of purpose of travel and country of origin.
In fact, this approach is already adopted by national government with business travellers and so it makes little sense to exclude leisure travellers in this way.
Indeed, it is unfair to restrict leisure travellers from high-risk countries as there is simply no greater risk of transmission based on the purpose of travel.
South Africa’s airlines, hospitality and tourism companies have shown that travel and tourism can resume safely and, with stringent health and safety systems in place, it should not be necessary to impose additional country-based travel restrictions.
We are also concerned that the two-week review period of the leisure “no-travel list”, together with the requirement that business travellers from high-risk countries email the Department of Home Affairs for permission to travel, will create a barrier to bookings from visitors in traditional key source markets during the critical summer season. It also does not allow for enough lead time on which airlines can base their decisions to fly, creating further uncertainty for a sector that has already been hard-hit.
We have worked hard to ensure that Cape Town and the Western Cape is safe for travellers and ready to welcome international visitors, because our leisure travellers from key source markets such as the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands and France make the most of our favourable exchange rate and have a high spending potential which positively impacts our local economy.
We are open and we are ready to safely welcome travellers from around the world to experience our world-class and affordable experiences in Cape Town and the Western Cape.
Media Alert: Western Cape Government to hold a digital press conference
30 September 2020
Tomorrow, Premier Alan Winde will hold a digital press conference to outline the Western Cape Government’s humanitarian response throughout COVID-19, and the focus on dignity in the province’s recovery.
Premier Winde will be joined by Minister of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez and Minister of Agriculture, Ivan Meyer.
Dr Keith Cloete will also provide an update on the health platform.
Date: 1 October 2020
Time: 12 pm
Digital platform: Microsoft Teams
Please confirm your attendance by 9 am tomorrow and provide your name, surname, the name of your publication and your email address to be added to Microsoft Teams. We will provide you with a meeting invite to the briefing, upon your confirmation. Only those who have confirmed attendance will be admitted.
We are pleased to launch the Western Cape Covid-19 Business Relief Fund which commits R27 million to supporting small businesses in both the formal and informal sectors who have been hard-hit by Covid-19 restrictions.
We know that times have been tough for businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that is why, from the start we have been working hard to support businesses, especially small businesses, to open safely and responsibly, so we can save jobs and save the economy in the Western Cape.
The fund will provide financial assistance in the form of a financial grant to businesses who can apply to either the formal or informal business category. The grant will be used exclusively to subsidise business expenses such as fixed costs, operational costs, supplier debt and other pressure cost items.
The Western Cape Covid-19 Business Relief Fund is one of the many ways that we have worked hard to support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yesterday (21 September 2020), we also announced the launch of our Covid-19 workplace safety campaign which aims to remind businesses about the importance of implementing health and safety guidelines in the workplace, and encourages them to make use of the many tools and resources we have on our website to help them implement these safety measures in the workplace.
With the move to Alert Level 1 which allows more businesses to safely open, this fund is an important step in our economic recovery plan to help businesses to rebuild and save jobs in the Western Cape. And so, I would like to encourage all interested small businesses to apply. We look forward to receiving your submissions.
We welcome the move to Alert Level 1 from today, 21 September 2020, as this further relaxation of restrictions and opening of the economy is exactly what we need to save jobs and the economy in the Western Cape.
After months of having to close because of Covid-19, businesses across the Western Cape are opening up, stocking up and welcoming back staff and customers.
But, to make sure we keep our economy growing, business owners need to continue doing everything they can to keep their customers, staff and communities safe, and consumers need to act responsibly as they get out and support the economy.
And so, we launched our workplace safety campaign last week, which will be run on radio, social media and search platforms in multiple languages to reach business owners across the Western Cape. The aim of the campaign is to remind businesses about the importance of implementing health and safety guidelines in the workplace, and encourage them to make use of the many tools and resources we have on our website to help them implement these safety measures in the workplace. [LISTEN TO THE ADVERTS]
Our estimates are that 162,000 jobs would be lost in the Western Cape as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions, and while we have worked hard to support businesses and reduce the impact on jobs and the economy and the Western Cape, there is still much work to be done.
Our economy cannot afford to go back to more severe levels of restrictions in the Western Cape, and so it is critically important that everyone continue to adhere to the health and safety guidelines to stop the spread of Covid-19 – wear a mask, wash your hands and social distance.
We also all have a role to play in rebuilding our economy in the Western Cape.
We know times are tough, but if you can, please go out and support our businesses in the Western Cape, particularly those in the tourism and hospitality sector.
With the upcoming Heritage Day public holiday and the long weekend, I encourage everyone to take advantage of the many specials offers and free experiences available to all and which provide everyone with the opportunity to explore the best that we have to offer in the Western Cape.
And if you are out and about discovering the Western Cape, please take a photo at your favourite local attraction, restaurant, museum or outdoor activity and post it on social media with the hashtag “WeAreOpen”.
Notes for media: Please find soundbyte from Minister David Maynier attached
Media Release: Western Cape to call on President Ramaphosa to open up international travel, lift curfew and save jobs
15 September 2020
This morning, I am attending the President’s Coordinating Council meeting where President Cyril Ramaphosa will be discussing the next phase of lockdown with Ministers and the Premiers of all the provinces.
During that meeting, I will motivate for the further opening of business and economic activity on the grounds that the citizens of this province have proven that they are able to take individual responsibility by changing our behaviour.
The Western Cape Government is also well prepared for COVID-19 and has shown that we are able to track and manage this virus, and we continue to flatten the curve. Our province-wide hotspot management also continues.
I will therefore be requesting, on behalf of the citizens of the Western Cape, that:
We lift the curfew.
A date, in October, for the opening of international travel is declared so that bookings can be made by international travelers who want to come to our country.
We save jobs and business by allowing more economic activity such as events and sporting events.
Our focus right now must be on saving jobs and avoiding a humanitarian crisis. We must do this now and we must do it safely to move forward.
Statement by Premier Alan Winde: Western Cape cabinet to meet on formal position for further reopening of the economy; calls on residents to stay safe, move forward.
10 September 2020
“It’s time to move forward”
This week, we received confirmation of what was already being felt by families and communities across our province and country: that we are facing a serious economic disaster that will result in hunger and growing levels of inequality in South Africa.
If the daily Covid-19 stats were a marker of how we were doing in our fight against this health pandemic, then the GDP stats released this week, which showed a significant decline in economic activity, should be the clearest indication that we are now in the midst of a dangerous and, yes, deadly second pandemic of joblessness that will hit our most vulnerable communities the hardest.
I agree with President Ramaphosa’s comments yesterday: this was not a shock, but the result of a prolonged and severe Lockdown and its associated economic restrictions – which at times lacked common sense. The reality is that if people cannot work, sell their goods, or offer their services, the economy cannot grow, and jobs will be lost.
As I have said before, we supported the initial hard lockdown as a necessary step to buy South Africa time to prepare our health-system for the peak of infections that were to come. We did this in the Western Cape. We built field hospitals in record time, ensured that we had enough PPE and other medical stock like oxygen for our peak, and we launched a comprehensive, province-wide hotspot strategy to intervene and ensure behaviour change that would flatten the curve.
But we also at the same time argued – even when facing serious opposition – that we should allow businesses to operate safely as well. We called for Level 3, when some wanted us to go to Level 5. We lobbied for the tourism, construction, e-commerce and wine sectors to open. We said that we can save lives now through interventions like our hotspot strategy, but we can do this in a way that allows economic activity and saves lives in the future too.
It is also why we have now geared up our government to fight this second pandemic with equal determination. We have convened two Bosberaad sessions and identified the pillars of our recovery plan, which will focus on our government priorities of jobs, safety and dignity for the people of the Western Cape.
But our success will be limited for as long as we continue with restrictions on economic activity. They need to come to an end.
We must open up all sectors of the economy and allow for international travel in line with clear health guidelines and in acknowledgment of individual responsibility. We must treat our residents as responsible partners in our continued efforts to keep Covid-19 on the decline.
Tomorrow, the Western Cape Government cabinet will discuss the further opening of the economy and adopt an official position to present to President Ramaphosa during his next round of consultations.
“Stay Safe. Move Forward”
All indicators confirm that the Western Cape has moved into the recovery phase of its pandemic. We need to ensure that we keep up all the behaviour changes we have learnt over the last 5 months. We must continue to wear a clean cloth mask, keep a 1.5 metre distance from others, wash our hands, and clean surfaces around us regularly. If we do this, we can keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
But we need to do something further at the same time: we need to move forward. We need to get out of our homes and support businesses so that we get our economy growing again. We need to make sure we get the medical treatment we need for non-COVID health conditions which we have been delaying. We must make sure that our kids are immunised, and that they go to school to get the knowledge they need to succeed in life. We need to get back to work, to school and to our lives – and we need to do it safely.
This has never been a zero-sum game. We don’t have to pick-and-choose between being safe and moving forward. We can do both, and we can get onto the right track again. Our message to the people of the Western Cape is to help us now like you did so enthusiastically before so that together, we can move forward.
CANGO CAVES OPEN ITS DOORS AFTER SIX-MONTH NATIONAL LOCKDOWN CLOSURE
Oudtshoorn, 9 September 2020. – After having had to close its doors as a result of the National Lockdown for a period of approximately six months, the Cango Caves is proud to announce that it will open its doors to the public on Friday, 11 September 2020.
The Cango Caves, which successfully draws about 250 000 tourists a year, is regarded as a provincial, national as well as an international tourism treasure. More than half of all visitors per year are from outside the borders of South Africa, with 60% of all visitors coming from Europe and Britain. South-East Asian tourists are also as key visitors.
In this regard, the Cango Caves is widely acknowledged for its role as a key contributor to the economy of the Garden Route and Klein Karoo, and in particular Oudtshoorn.
“The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and its resultant negative impact on the economy of the region, meant that the Cango Caves management along with key partners of the Oudtshoorn Municipality had to think very carefully about its future business and plan for accordingly,” says Alison Moos, Acting Manager of the Cango Caves.
“As far we know, this is the first time since opening its doors in the late 1900s that the Cango Caves had to close its doors for such a long period of time – nearly six months since National Lockdown was introduced in March this year,” Moos adds.
“While we are looking forward to opening our doors to welcome tourists again, we are well aware of the importance to protect the safety of both the Cango Caves employees as well as our visitors. We are also aware of the negative impact of Covid-19 on the economy, locally, national as well as internationally. This means that at least for the next 18 months we are unlikely to experience as strong a flow of visitors as we saw prior to the onset of the pandemic.”
“We also know that should we register a Covid-19 case at the Cango Caves, we would most likely have to close our doors again, albeit for a much shorter period of time.”
With regards to tours, Moos announced that, as part of the measures introduced to manage the situation, “the Cango Caves will for the foreseeable future only offer the Heritage Tour, which is an easy walk through the first six largest chambers. The size of the groups on this specific tour will also be limited, given requirements for social distancing”.
“The Heritage Tour originally catered for a maximum of 100 people. This has been changed, in line with safety protocol, to 20 people on the tour and the tour is conducted every 15 minutes.”
The Adventure Tour, which is considered a more challenging tour with narrow passages and tunnels that requires a degree of fitness, has been suspended till further notice.
Sanitising stations are available throughout the complex before visitors embark on their tour and visitors are encouraged to regularly sanitise their hands. Face masks are obligatory for all staff and visitors. Electronic temperature screening and sanitising will take place at the entrance to the complex.
The massive 51% real GDP contraction in the second quarter of this year shows just how devastating the lockdown has been on the economy across South Africa.
When the national economy contracts, the provincial economy contracts, and so there is no doubt that the lockdown will have a severe impact on the economy in the Western Cape.
However, one positive is the agricultural sector which has grown by 15% and provides a glimmer of hope as this sector contributed 209 798 jobs and R21 billion to the economy in 2019 in the Western Cape.
We have led the way in calling for the opening of the economy where it was safe to do so, with some success in the re-opening of the ecommerce, construction and tourism sectors.
We have worked hard to support businesses during the crisis with many resources and tools such as:
the Covid-19 Content Centre, set up with our partners at Wesgro and the City of Cape Town, to provide support and advice for businesses during the crisis,
the Covid-19 support finder which helps businesses navigate and access the many financial relief packages available to them,
our Red Tape Reduction Unit which assists businesses, including small businesses, with information such as how to start a business and where to register a business, as well as red tape related issues, such as delayed permits
our health guidelines and information materials on preventing and managing Covid-19 infections in the workplace, and
our PPE marketplace which helps businesses to find Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suppliers and which supports small businesses providing PPE to private businesses.
We have stood with business through the crisis and we remain committed to standing with business in recovery, which is why we are now moving forward and focusing on our economic recovery with all the urgency of the health response in the Western Cape.
We have launched our “We Are Open” domestic tourism campaign, and we will continue to call for the further opening of the economy where it is safe to do so. This includes calling for the opening of our borders to allow international travel, which is critical to supporting businesses in the hardest hit tourism and hospitality sector in the Western Cape.
Notes for media: Please find soundbyte from Minister David Maynier attached.
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Media Release: Update on the coronavirus by Premier Alan Winde
26 August 2020
As of 1pm on 26 August, the Western Cape has 4675 active cases of COVID-19, with a total of 102 976 confirmed cases and 94 500 recoveries.
Total confirmed COVID-19 cases
102 976
Total recoveries
94500
Total deaths
3761
Total active cases (currently infected patients)
4675
Tests conducted
473109
Hospitalisations
997 with 187 in ICU or high care
Cape Metro Sub-districts:
Sub-district
Cases
Recoveries
Western
9000
8332
Southern
9279
8495
Northern
6387
6000
Tygerberg
12915
12014
Eastern
9781
9006
Klipfontein
8923
8120
Mitchells Plain
8315
7725
Khayelitsha
8182
7645
Total
72782
67337
Sub-districts:
District
Sub-district
Cases
Recoveries
Garden Route
Bitou
561
498
Garden Route
Knysna
1333
1199
Garden Route
George
3249
2903
Garden Route
Hessequa
269
213
Garden Route
Kannaland
102
95
Garden Route
Mossel Bay
2058
1794
Garden Route
Oudsthoorn
1087
738
Cape Winelands
Stellenbosch
1985
1835
Cape Winelands
Drakenstein
4174
3845
Cape Winelands
Breede Valley
3218
2958
Cape Winelands
Langeberg
1104
1004
Cape Winelands
Witzenberg
1496
1335
Overberg
Overstrand
1499
1436
Overberg
Cape Agulhas
258
230
Overberg
Swellendam
270
246
Overberg
Theewaterskloof
1124
1038
West Coast
Bergrivier
402
364
West Coast
Cederberg
153
138
West Coast
Matzikama
320
263
West Coast
Saldanha Bay Municipality
1318
1209
West Coast
Swartland
1449
1311
Central Karoo
Beaufort West
471
349
Central Karoo
Laingsburg
122
77
Central Karoo
Prince Albert
16
11
Unallocated: 2156 (2074 recovered)
Data note: It is not always possible to check and verify that the address data supplied for each new recorded case is correct, within the time frames required to provide regular and timely updates. This means that in some instances, cases could be allocated to the wrong sub-districts. We are working with the sub-districts to clean and verify the data and where errors are picked up locally, cases will be re-allocated to the correct areas.
The Western Cape has recorded an additional 40 deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 3801. We send our condolences to their family and friends at this time.
Mitchell’s Plain business visit:
Premier Winde visits Suraya Williams of Design 26 in Mitchell’s Plain.
Today, I had visited some businesses in Mitchell’s Plain to chat to them about their business, some of their concerns and the impact of the lockdown.
My first stop was dressmaker Suraya Williams – whose Design 26 foundation teaches young women from the community sewing skills. Her business, which makes women’s clothing and custom matric ball dresses, has been heavily impacted by the lockdown. As a result, she has had to pivot to making masks and running her business as a small-scale CMT business.
I salute Ms Williams for doing what was necessary to continue to operate, but many other small businesses have not been able to stay open. We need to get our economy growing again, so that we can save jobs and address the second pandemic of unemployment, hunger and increased levels of poverty. This is a top priority for the Western Cape Government, as we work on our recovery plan.
I also visited Marshall Nelson who provides skills training for young people in Mitchells Plain. He and his children started 3D printing protective face shields during the lockdown which they distributed in their community – using their available equipment and innovation to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Then, I popped into the Eve and Steve hair salon in the Promenade Mall. I had my first haircut here after salons were first allowed to open under alert level 3 and returned today for a trim. I was pleased to see that the business is still taking all the necessary safety precautions to operate safely.
I also had the opportunity to walk around the mall and to engage with the mall management. As with my visit to the Cape Town CBD last week, I noticed that some businesses were quieter an others had closed their doors. I was however pleased to hear that while some spaces were to let- there were some new tenants coming in as well.
At the same time, my community liaison team, “Team Premier” were on the ground engaging with businesses in the Garden Route today. They were sharing information about the golden rules of hygiene, as well as distributing masks and informational posters to businesses. Tomorrow, they will also be joined by Minister of Human Settlements Tertuis Simmers who is the hotspot lead for the Garden Route as well as representatives from local government.
Over the coming weeks and months, I hope to visit many more businesses and areas as the Western Cape Government focuses on its recovery.
It will take some time for businesses to rebuild and to regain what was lost during the lockdown. I therefore continue to appeal to everyone to support a small or a local business wherever they can to help to protect jobs. Whether it be buy buying your fruit and vegetables from a local vendor, buying locally produced clothing, or going out for a meal or a coffee, you can help to support a business and the jobs that they create.
You can also help to support small businesses without spending a cent by reviewing them on social media or by recommending them to family, friends and colleagues. But please remember to do this safely, by always following the golden rules.
