Coronavirus - South africa: Minister Fikile Mbalula provides day 3 update on implementation of transport regulations during Coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown
National Department of Transport lockdown status update
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, March 30, 2020/ -- 1. Law enforcement:
Law enforcers to increase deployment at Lebombo and monitor all
roadblocks towards the borders to ensure that vehicles desist from
approaching the port of entry.A monitoring and evaluation team will visit the roadblocks to ensure compliance.Traffic Law enforcement from lockdown to date: 34 roadblocks have
been conducted, resulting into 2 117 vehicles being stopped and checked
and 229 notices have been issued out for various offences and 13
vehicles have been discontinued, while 26 public transport vehicles were impounded.
2. Compliance issues:
Roads
Reports indicate that taxis in the Eastern Cape Aliwal North around Hertzog bridge are operating outside the allocated operational hours.Concerns have been raised about taxis ferrying passengers to the
Lebombo Border and becoming problematic once permission to cross the
border is denied.Taxis still overloaded at Bloed taxi rank. Law enforcement assisted by SANTACO members intervened and offloaded some of the taxis.A taxi was overloaded on the M10 and R 55 and the vehicle was impounded while the passengers were escorted to Midstream.In Mpumalanga a taxi driver was arrested at Kaapmuiden Police
Station and another three drivers were arrested at Komatipoort SAPS for
non-compliance of COVID 19 regulations.Media reports indicate tension between the Department of Transport
and the Taxi industry. Taxi associations are withholding their services
in parts of the country.A number of essential services staff have noted an increase in taxi fare as a result of the regulations.Two bus drivers from Zimbabwean owned bus companies are still
resisting travel regulations and insist on crossing the Beitbridge
border into Zimbabwe. They indicated to SAPS that they did not have
funds to turn back to their original place of embarkation (Cape Town and Johannesburg respectively). SAPS out of their own coffers gave them
R1500 for fuel and the buses were escorted from Musina to Polokwane and
passengers were given their passports back. However, since yesterday the buses have been at Polokwane police station and refusing to turn back.
The buses tried to cross the border after the lockdown was implemented.
There are children in these busesToll operators have complained about being defined as an essential service.The SADC harmonization document is still in draft so member states
have no formal agreement to adhere to on the border, Zambia side,
Livingstone. All South African drivers are being quarantined for 14
days, without screening. South African trucks have been detained.
Drivers are allegedly kept in inhumane conditions.
Maritime
The last passenger vessel scheduled to visit South African shores
is The Amsterdam. The said vessel is estimated to arrive off Durban, on
05 April 2020, at about 05h00. More details about the vessel will follow in due course, however SAMSA officials and the Durban Joint Operations
Committee (JOC) have started communicating with the Ship Agent and the
Ship Master to provide guidance and gather information e.g. health and
safety status of the vessel, SA persons onboard the vessel, etc. SAMSA
is reporting that there is still no clear directive on how to process
Passenger Vessels requiring assistance e.g. refueling, supplies,
humanitarian assistance, etc.The vessel remains anchored off the Port of Durban, with 264
passengers and 1215 crew. Twenty- seven (27) passengers onboard the
vessel presented with “flu-like” symptoms, and the affected passengers
have undergone testing. As at the time of reporting, the results of 17
selected passengers came out negative, now awaiting test results of the
remaining 10 passengers. This information will be shared as soon as the
test results become available.Currently, there is no known means of dealing with SA Seafarers
(technical or Hospitality) signing off on foreign ships abroad: SAMSA is awaiting a protocol from the DoT and DIRCO on how to deal with that
scenario.South African Seafarers returning home on board ships already on
the SA coastline: currently crew changes are not allowed. South Africans on the Queen Mary 2 are still stuck aboard the ship, at the Port of
Durban. It is suggested that South African citizens be allowed to
disembark the ship and follow the already established disembarkation
process led by Port Health.
Aviation
IATA and AASA wrote directly to the Ministry of Transport, calling
on the Minister to relax the regulations and directives in relation to:
Foreign Crew; Safety and Security of Flight Operations and the
Repatriation of SA citizens and Foreign Nationals. The matter is being
attended to at Ministry level.
3. Internal issues:
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has issued transport directives
to extend public transport travel times for social grant beneficiaries
during the national lockdown. The Communication Team must anticipate an
eventful morning on 30 March 2020.
4. Escalated issues
IATA and AASA’s letter to the Ministry of Transport, calling on the Minister to relax the regulations and directives.SAMSA’s request for clarity regarding SA Seafarers signing off on
foreign ships abroad, how to process Passenger Vessels requiring
assistance and South African Seafarers returning home on board ships
already on the SA Coastline.South African drivers quarantined in inhumane conditions for 14 days, without screening and South African trucks being detained.
5. Resolved issues
Collection of Social Grants Transport ArrangementsThe SACAA has reported industry queries from an operator (NAC)
requesting to reposition an aircraft from Afghanistan to Johannesburg
with 4 staff members. The SACAA advised NAC that this type of flight
does not fall under the emergency category and therefore cannot be
allowed. For further assistance they were referred to DIRCO.
Definitions:
Law enforcement: Law enforcement operations currently underway
Compliance issues: Instances where there is a lack of compliance to regulations
Internal issues: Nerve centre related issues that required urgent intervention
Escalated issues: Issues escalated to the dg for his attention & intervention
Resolved issues: Issues that occurred earlier but have since been resolved
Issued by:
Department of Transport
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