The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic In South Africa Joshua Wallman - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic In South Africa Joshua Wallman

The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic In South Africa Joshua Wallman Professor Nina Khrushcheva Media, Culture & Global Politics Spring 2020 April 28, 2020

3 The current state of the pandemic in South Africa Hi Highest number of confirmed Covid-19 19 Cases in in Afr fric ica- ove over 4793 con confirmed ca case ses s • and 90 deat an aths hs as as of April 28, 2020. • Wh While e th the e number er of new ew cases es have e dropped ed grea eatl tly, hea ealth th ex exper erts ts fea ear th that t a new ew wa wave of infections will arrive along with the southern hemisphere’s winter. • Cu Currently conducting approximately 10,000 tests per day, particularly in the to town wnships. The e hope e is th that t a focus on tes testi ting wi will allow w an ea easing of th the e lockdown wn so so that those ose most ost effect cted ca can return to o wor ork. • Th This proactive approach, combining widespread testing and public temperature ch check cks s from om the st start (ove over 47,000 peop ople tes tested ted an and 67 7 drive-th through sites tes crea eated ted in th the e first t week week alone) e), outp tpaced ed mo most t oth ther er countr tries es around th the e wo world. Al Along with a heavy po police pr presence nationwide, 2,280 troops ps were depl ployed at the • st start of of the lock ockdow own. Presi sident Ramaphosa osa has s now ow mobi obilized all 73,,000 membe bers s of April 22 nd nd , o of of the armed for orce ces. s. As s of , over 1 118,000 p ,000 people h have b been c charged w with breaking the lock br ockdow own rest strict ction ons. s. A A compl plete loss of income for millions coupl pled with limited access to necessities have • le led d to in increased d cla lashes wit ith polic lice and d soldie ldiers in in the township ips, is is what are bein ing called riot ca ots. s. • Th The initial national lockdown, while enacted in an of often ruthless ss fa fashio ion, appears to ha have lar argely been effective, as as it considerab ably slowed the he explosion of cas ases the he cou country face ced at the st start of of the cr crisi sis. s. • President Ramaphosa an Pr announ unced th this past t week week th that, t, wh while e he e plans on a gradual re reopening of the economy, thousands of additional tro roops will be deployed. A 26 A 26 billion dollar ec economi mic rel elief ef fund was also announced ed, to tota taling 10% of th the e • cou countries s GDP, to o primarily aid bu busi sinesse sses, s, and se secon condarily three million on wor orkers s wh who have e lost t all income. me. • There has been a notable increase in confirmed cases among essential workers in Th re recent weeks, leading to concern rns that opening the economy will lead an explosion of in infe fectio ions among this is la large de demographic ic.

4 Fertile ground for a national health & economic emergency VAST SYSTEMA TIC INEQUALITY & A WEAKENED INFASTRUCTURE South Africa is considered the most “developed” nation on the African continent, with a more • industrialized and diversified economy than any other country. However, this wealthy and resource-rich nation of 57 million is grappling with deep inequality and poverty. In 2019, the World Bank declared South Africa to be the most economically unequal country on earth. 26 years after apartheid there is still deeply entrenched systematic racism, and increasingly • classism, in every facet of society. Basic health care is provided by the government, but it has been stretched thin and millions • lack full access to it. The townships in particular have few essential local health services. The impoverished townships, where a third of the nation’s 57 million people live, lack the • necessities available to those in the cities and suburbs. Residents also contend with high unemployment, lack of access to food and medicine, as well as no running water or toilets. While the ANC has made efforts for years to build housing, provide basic services and rebuild • the country’s infrastructure, millions still live with no electricity or sanitation and minimal schooling or healthcare.

5 A FRAGILE ECONOMY , HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT & A LACK OF RESOURCES South Africa has an estimated 1 million domestic workers whose rights have historically been violated by • employers. This is only being exacerbated by the pandemic. Many essential workers in wealthy urban and suburban areas are forced to travel long distances using public transportation in order to work, which had lead to this population becoming highly at risk. Millions depend on work in the informal economy for survival. This system has been completely • interrupted, leading to widespread concerns about a vast rise in hunger and lack of necessities. Street violence, including what some officials are publicly labeling “burglary, looting, and vandalism” is • on the rise as people run out of food and supplies. There is a very large at-risk and vulnerable homeless population of over 200,000 living on the streets as • well as in large encampments across the country. CORRUPTION & ONE PARTY RULE With one party rule essentially intact since the end apartheid, the ANC has controlled the country for a • quarter century while having to contend with party corruption, power struggles and inner turmoil. Many critics believe this has impeded the party’s ability to function effectively, particularly at this perilous moment. A recent BBC article blamed “cronyism, corruption and economic stagnation” for the decade long • hollowing out of key institutions. Austerity measures, like in so many part so of the world, has aggravated this situation.

The media reacts: 6 Fig. 1 Fig. 1 Fig. 2

7 Patient zero & the arrival of the Coronavirus Cov Covid-19 became national news when 114 4 South African exchange • students st s were st stranded in Wuhan, China at the st start of the lock ckdown there. Heavy th y media coverage and a debate te arose regarding th their safe re return rn to the country ry, and the possibility of the viru rus arri rriving with th them. They y were able to to leave China and immediate tely y ente tered qu quara rantine upon entry ry to South Afri rica. De Despit ite a a nat atio ional al co controve versy that at erupted, the fir irst cas cases we were not • re related to China. Rather . the firs rst confirm rmed case in the country ry on th wa March Ma ch 5 th was of a 38 year old who had recently returned from Italy. Ch China, w with v very d deep e econ onom omic t ties t to S o S.A., w went on on a a p public r relation ons • campaign ca gn to co counter any nega gative ve media co cove verage ge or publ blic c se sentiment ti tied to to th the Wuhan incident t and public percepti tion blaming China for the pandemic. th As As the first case was announced, ami mid rapidly growing fear amo mong • the public, President th t Ramaphosa promised adequate te preparati tions, cl clear gu guidelines s and maximum transp sparency cy rega garding g the vi virus’ s’s s spread. He admitted that the eco sp conomy would su suffer gr greatly due to the cr crisi sis s bu but that the death rate would not explode as s many warned it mig might. The Media tappe The pped into thi his fear and only exacerbated the he frenzy, • wh whic ich in increas ased pressure on the governme ment to ac act swif wiftly ly an and st strongl gly.

8 The government response Fig. 5 Fig. 4 Fig. 6 Fig. 7