Pravin Gordhan deployed to lead Tshwane’s fight against Covid-19

Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan will lead Tshwane’s fight against Covid-19, the city confirmed on Monday.

Tshwane head administrator Mpho Nawa said Gordhan had been deployed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the city to lead the district efforts in the fight against the pandemic. The city has been identified as a hotspot.

Nawa said they had implemented a ward-based Covid-19 outreach screening and testing campaign, targeting hotspots.

He said the campaign, which focused on shopping centres and malls, was conducted every Friday. Thousands had been screened and tested in a “concerted bid” to isolate those who were positive.

He welcomed the deployment of Gordhan in Tshwane, saying his “vast experience” would help the city in areas where there may be weaknesses.

“Minister Gordhan has had a stellar career in the public service, firstly as the most enterprising and successful governor of the South African Revenue Service (Sars), under whose leadership revenue collection was at its maximum, and as the minister of both finance and Cogta.

“We will draw inspiration, lessons and mentorship in terms of good governance and financial prudence from his wealth of experience as a dedicated and committed civil servant,” Nawa said.

A team of administrators and senior  managers had met Gordhan twice and more engagements were planned. “He has provided guidance on what needs to be done to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

“Of all the metros in Gauteng, Tshwane has the fewest infections due to the efforts we have put in place, and we would like to appeal to our communities to observe the lockdown regulations and stop having house parties and exceeding the number of mourners permitted at funerals.

“We can defeat this killer virus if we behave accordingly. Let’s continue to wear cloth face masks, sanitise, wash our hands with soap and water and observe physical distancing of one metre and above to contain the virus,” Nawa said.