Durban – KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala yesterday confirmed that 23 teachers and five pupils in the province have tested positive for Covid-19.
Zikalala said the infections were from different schools in KZN and had been reported since the reopening of schools last Monday.
Only two district offices had not reported any cases - Amajuba and Umkhanyakude - Zikalala said.
The uMlazi district office is leading, with seven positive cases. Pinetown has six, Umgungundlovu and Ugu have four cases and Harry Gwala has two.
Ilembe, King Cetshwayo, Umzinyathi, Uthukela and Zululand have only one confirmed case each.
Zikalala said of the 28 schools affected, 14 would be re-opening today after all safety protocols had been followed - including testing and screening of staff and pupils, and decontaminating.
He said the remaining schools were expected to reopen during the week, after all protocols had been observed.
“We want to implore all the teachers, pupils and other non-teaching staff to continue exercising caution, even when they are not within school premises.
“We want to reiterate that there are no schools that will reopen or continue to function if they do not comply with all the non-negotiables. This is in a bid to ensure the safety of our teachers and pupils,” he said.
Zikalala reported that the majority of schools opened without challenges last week.
He said where there were challenges, the KZN Department of Education made timeous interventions to save time for teaching and learning.
“The department continues to grapple with the challenges of water provision and sanitation, in different parts of the province.
“The limited capacity of municipalities to provide water, even for communities, has further compounded the problem of provision of water in schools,” said Zikalala.
He also made note of instances where communities stopped water tankers from going to schools, demanding that water be sent to communities first.
Zikalala said in the King Cetshwayo and Umkhanyakude Districts there had been reported cases of communities helping themselves to water in schools, leaving tanks empty.
“We want to plead with communities to work with us in protecting our schools and the time for teaching and learning.
“Notably, the progress of the department also has been hampered by poor workmanship by appointed service providers,” said Zikalala.
He said there were also instances where water tanks were put on the ground and the chemical toilets provided were not fit for human use.
“The department has assured me that such poor service would not be paid for and they are moving towards blacklisting the service providers involved in the shoddy work.”
Yesterday, Zikalala and KZN MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu officially opened the 500-bed quarantine centre for Covid-19 patients, in Pietermaritzburg.
The Royal Show Grounds Field Hospital is one of the health facilities designed as a quarantine or isolation centre for Covid-19 patients.
It would service UMgungundlovu, Harry Gwala, and UThukela districts.
Zikalala said another field hospital, the Durban Exhibition Centre, is being constructed on their behalf by the national Department of Health.
“This has put us in a good position to be able to accommodate patients, who need to be quarantined while waiting for their test results, and to isolate and treat those who have tested positive.”
In just a few months, he said, they have created 7 111 beds in the province, through extensive renovations and repurposing of hospitals, and the establishment of field hospitals.
“The list of other facilities that have been repurposed include Clairwood Hospital, Wentworth Hospital, Richmond, Dundee and Niemeyer Hospital, as well as a hospital in every district,” added Zikalala.