Executive Mayor of Fezile Dabi District Municipality Councillor Moeketsi Moshodi has expressed his appreciation of the hardwork by all stakeholders represented at the municipality’s Disaster Management Joint Operation Centre. These include, the Department of health, the South African Police Services, traffic department both local and provincial, SASSA, Social development, South African National Defence Force, Department of education as well as disaster management units of four local Municipalities in district, namely Moqhaka, Mafube, Metsimaholo and Ngwathe.
These are the stakeholders who are in the forefront of the fight against the spread of Covid-19 and have always to remain on duty to ensure the safety of all residents of the district.
Moshodi said since the lockdown the district municipality has experienced a lot of challenges with regard to compliance and adherence to the lockdown regulations, key amongst these challenges is that our people are still loitering the streets of our townships with no valid reasons. This is especially widespread in big townships of our district in particular Zamdela in Sasolburg, Tumahole in Parys, Maokeng in Kroonstad and Namahadi in Frankfort.
“We have also experienced a handful of business establishments such as taverns who have been selling liquor illegally to some selected individuals during this time of the lockdown, we want to thank our community for alerting the police and these establishments have been attended to accordingly.
“Our traffic officials are holding roadblock at all the borders of Fezile Dabi District Municipality, we must take this opportunity to truly appreciate their hard work of ensuring compliance on our roads,” said the Executive Mayor.
According to the Executive Mayor traffic officials are still experiencing huge challenges on the matter of permits, whereby some of the road users are only using invoices as permits to cross the borders in order to attend to some business matters in other provinces.
“Our traffic officers are very clear even if you produce an invoice if you don’t have a permit that allows you to be on the road you will be refused to pass and you will be returned back. We are making a humble appeal please make sure that if you are on the road you have a valid permit that allows you to be on the road,” said Moshodi emphatically.
He said thus far the district municipality was satisfied with how funerals are conducted as the community adheres to all regulations, these includes not more than fifty people in attendance, ensuring that sanitizers are available for the mourners and funeral services not lasting for more than two hours as well as avoiding catering where possible.
“We are aware that this is very inconvenient to many of us especially noting that it is in our culture to support each other at such times, however we are thankful and appeal for more cooperation, this is done in the best interest of all of us,” said Moshodi.
He urged the community to obey and respect all the regulations of the lockdown as this is the only way that the spread of corona virus can be avoided.
“Continue to wash your hands with soap regularly. If we work together, we can defeat corona virus,”he concluded.
