FLTR: Back Row: Fostino Lamont, Yolandie Campher, Marinda de Villiers and Sanie September (All worker at the Municipal Community Services Department) Front Row: Reginald Smit (Acting Municipal Manager), Cllr. Chris Macpherson (Executive Mayor of the Greater Oudtshoorn), Khalil Mullagie (Director of Operations, Western Cape – SALGA) and Armstrong Mpela (Senior Advisor: Intergovernmental Relations – SALGA)
Oudtshoorn, 16 February 2021 – Oudtshoorn Municipality, one of the two Western Cape beneficiaries of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for COVID19 cheerfully welcomed the gesture as Executive Mayor, Cllr. Chris Macpherson received the gifts last week.
The PPE that was handover in a special ceremony that took place outside the Oudtshoorn Municipal headquarters on Wednesday, 10 February 2021 is intended to benefit frontline workers responsible for the provision of essential services. The PPE include disposable coveralls, disposable gowns, surgical gloves as well as heavy-duty gloves.
Mayor Macpherson thanked SALGA for choosing the Greater Oudtshoorn as one of the two beneficiaries in the Western Cape, alongside with Theewaterskloof Municipality. “We are sincerely grateful for this gesture; as we continue our battle against COVID19, it is important we strive to root out this pandemic and protect those that are in the frontline of this fight,” Macpherson said. “This PPE will certainly minimise the risk of any official being infected with COVID19.”
In addition to the PPE, SALGA in partnership with the European Union donated 15 tablets to the Municipality to assist and improve engagement with its communities and organisations. “Since the arrival of COVID19, engagements with communities have been limited. The tablets we have received today from SALGA will be utilised to minimise communication barriers with our stakeholders, businesses, community organisations and the public, as they remain our primary priority. We are happy that we will be in a position to continue communicating effectively with our communities”.
“It is a privilege for SALGA – as the sphere of government closest to the communities, to be able to contribute towards curbing spread of COVID19, by ensuring that essential workers in our municipalities are able to protect themselves,” said Mr. Khalil Mullagie, Provincial Director of Operations, Western Cape.
According to Mullagie, the Greater Oudtshoorn has been chosen following a prioritisation process that was followed by SALGA in identifying appropriate beneficiaries for the donation. “The Greater Oudtshoorn is one of the local municipalities in the Garden Route District, which was declared as a COVID19 hotspot,” he added.
The latest COVID19 statistics released as of 15 February 2021 by the Western Cape Provincial Government show that the Greater Oudtshoorn has 3829 confirmed COVID19 with 3495. The Greater Oudtshoorn has had 236 deaths since the arrival of COVID19 last year; Four deaths from this number are municipal workers.
“These statistics show that, as much as the rate of infections and active cases are in the decline, the threat of the presence of COVID19 still remains. I urged that everyone should continue doing their best to adhere to all COVID19 restrictions,” Mayor Macpherson concluded.