More than 86 thousand social grant beneficiaries will get paid across the Gauteng province from Monday, 30 March. The Gauteng Provincial Government says 300 post offices will distribute social grants. “The Post Office will provide 5 000 litres of hand sanitiser for the elderly and 30 000 pairs of hand gloves for staff,” read a statement from the provincial government.

Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, said in a statement, that the elderly and people with disabilities will receive their grants on Monday and Tuesday this week.  “All other grants such as child support should be collected from 1 April 2020,”Zulu said.

While 700 000 thousand beneficiaries will be paid through banks and other agencies like supermarkets, others will receive their grants at nine cash pay points. The Gauteng Health Department says over the past two days, they have witnessed a general compliance to the measures announced by the President Ramaphosa at the start of the lockdown period. But officials say there have been incidents in shopping centres and public transport nodes where social distancing was not observed.

In order to ensure that people adhere to the lockdown regulations, the Gauteng government, working with Community Policing Forums, will deploy 3 000 community patrollers to manage queues in shopping malls and other hotspots. The patrollers will also be deployed at pay points where social grants will be distributed.

The Department of Transport has also relaxed regulations to allow taxis and busses to ferry people to social grants pay points. 

Public transport will be allowed to operate from 5am to 8pm from Monday, March 30, to Friday April 3. The Provincial government, in co-ordination with the transport sector, will continue to ensure that taxis adhere to the COVID-19 safety measures including sanitizing taxi ranks and providing sanitisers to taxis.

In a statement Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said: “The exercise of social distance by all using public transport must be observed and enforced. Grant recipients are required to carry their identity documents and Sassa cards when travelling on public transport to assist law enforcement efforts.”

The Gauteng Government is also calling on residents to continue adhering to the COVID-19 measures as outlined by government by staying at home.

The latest report from the Department of Health shows that the number of those infected by the virus has increased to 1 280 nationwide. One more person has also succumbed to the disease. The 74-year-old man from Ladysmith in Kwazulu-Natal had travelled to the Kruger National Park with his family.

“The deceased’s family, 14 health care workers including three specialist doctors who were in contact with him are now in quarantine and being monitored,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.

Mkhize said his department had received reports that the patient had an underlying skin cancer condition( melanoma), that had already complicated. Earlier in the week, it was announced that a 48-year-old Western Cape woman had become South Africa’s first Covid-19-related fatality. She also had a preexisting condition, a pulmonary embolism.-Health-e News

For more information on Covid-19 in South Africa, you can call the toll-free line on 0800 029 999, or you can send a message that says “Hi” on WhatsApp to the number 060 012 3456. You can also visit the SA Coronavirus website.