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Political opponents are concerned that the government, and DIRCO in particular, aren’t doing enough to help South Africans concerned about the coronavirus.
Image via Unsplash
With fears heightened over the spread of the coronavirus, the last thing South Africa needs is a lack of leadership from our international departments. Sadly, it’s believed that this is exactly what’s happening with DIRCO and the SA Embassy in China.
Darren Bergman is the shadow DIRCO minister. He says that the DA Abroad have made several attempts to contact South African government representatives in China, but failed to acquire any coherent information from them. Bergman, who is the opposite number of International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor, listed the following issues:
The coronavirus has now killed more than 100 people, and has been detected in at least 15 different countries. There have been no cases reported in South Africa, and none of our compatriots have contracted the disease yet.
The outbreak took place in Wuhan, China – a bustling district that is also home to a big international community. Dozens of South Africans are now “trapped” in the region, and they won’t be able to evacuate immediately:
“We’ve been in contact with more than 100 South Africans in China, many of them trapped in Wuhan. The latest communication is that DIRCO will not evacuate South African citizens. DIRCO Minister Naledi Pandor must show leadershipto urgently intervene in the current state of dysfunction at the SA Embassy in China.”
“As we understand it, citizens who wish to leave must undergo a 14 day quarantine and then make their own way home. The DA is concerned that citizens are not pointed to the exact quarantine location and that no information is being offered in terms of available transport. The department must express themselves clearly.”
Darren Bergman
Freedom Front Plus have also registered their concerns with the way South Africa is handling the coronavirus outbreak. They believe that more border control is needed to limit the chances of coronavirus surfacing on our shores:
“The FF Plus is cautioning the South African government to take precautionary action to ensure that all South African citizens are protected against the virus. It is not sufficient to just increase control at the country’s airports and harbours, because the virus can easily enter the country by coming across borders.”
FF Plus statement
Coronavirus Confirmed Cases
— XGo Hub (@xgohub) January 29, 2020
Last updated: Jan 29, 2020, 7:25 UTC
6,007 ??China
14 ??Thailand
8 ??HK
8 ??Taiwan
7 ??Macau
7 ??Malaysia
7 ??Singapore
7 ??Japan
6 ??Australia
5 ??US
4 ??Korea
4 ??France
4 ??Germany
3 ??Canada
2 ??Vietnam
1 ??
1 ??
1 ??
1 ??
Source: Worldometer pic.twitter.com/b4hIR9tc9L