The Democratic Alliance has called on the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to urgently assess the suitability of Covid-19 quarantine sites in the Northern Cape. This comes after shocking images of a 28-bed quarantine site in Nababeep have emerged on social media (see pics here, here, here and here).

The DA is outraged that residents, particularly those travelling into South Africa via Namibia, are being made to stay at this appalling facility that poses health and safety risks to residents, whose rights to are clearly being violated.

The facility is an old Community Health Centre (CHC), primarily used to treat TB patients, for which the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Transport is ultimately responsible.

Not only is the facility dilapidated but it is also dirty, with open sewerage drains on the property. There is no sanitation to speak of and bathrooms are shared between all residents, without cleaning in between use. The facility is also unsafe and has no fencing around the property, no burglar bars on the windows and no lockable doors on the bedrooms or the bathrooms. Food is meanwhile delivered by a security guard, who has no safety gear on due to the complete absence of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s) on the property. Food is also of poor quality, as the initial service provider stopped provision of food due to non-payment.

This quarantine site makes a mockery of the Coronavirus pandemic and in no way does it comply with guidelines for quarantine and isolation sites in relation to Covid-19 exposure and infection.

The DA has lodged a complaint with the SAHRC and reported the matter to MEC of Roads and Public Works, Abraham Vosloo.

The DA has also submitted a written request to the chairperson of the Health portfolio committee, Sanna Tieties, and the chairperson of Roads & Public Works, Lorraine Senye, to also schedule oversight inspections to the quarantine facilities.

While some residents at the quarantine facility were later transferred to the Springbok caravan park, we still expect urgent changes to be made in the quarantine accommodation being provided in Nababeep. Least of all, that the scandalous CHC be shut down as a matter of urgency.

Issued by The DA