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.

Broadcasters: Please see video attached.

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.

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release

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 Cango Caves is a public entity and as such adheres to the strict regulation as gazetted by the Department of Labour as well as the Department of Health.

The first tour at Cango Caves was conducted in 1891.

Ends.

CAPTION: Cango Caves 1 and Cango Caves 2

Issued by the Oudtshoorn Municipality’s Communication & Media Services on Wednesday, 09 September 2020