Tasked with spearheading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in one of SA’s poorest, mostly rural, provinces, Phophi Ramathuba has had her work cut out for her.
But Limpopo health MEC Ramathuba believes that with a steady supply of vaccines, it could be the first province to achieve herd immunity by February 2022.
“If the supply is not constrained, we can keep up this momentum. If we get a sustainable supply, our 481 clinics can vaccinate 25,000 people [a day] … 100,000 in a week. In two months, we would vaccinate almost a million,” she said, lauding the joint effort of the province’s public and private hospitals.
To vaccinate the entire adult population by February 2022, Limpopo would need to administer about 500,000 single-dose Johnson & Johnson jabs — or 1-million two-shot Pfizer doses — every month for the next seven months.
At its recent peak, the province was administering close to 19,000 doses in a single day. It would need to increase its vaccination rate by at least 30% to achieve herd immunity by February.
Ramathuba’s boots-on-the-ground approach to dealing with the pandemic has seen her make controversial calls to cancel Easter gatherings. Limpopo is home to Moria, the seat of the Zion Christian Church where members gather for prayers every Easter.
Bordering Gauteng, the economic hub of the country and the epicentre of the third wave of infections, Limpopo is a natural base for migrant labour and is set to benefit from the recent ban on cross-border movement. Ramathuba has urged Limpopo citizens in Gauteng to stay put until the wave subsides.
Equally challenging is that her province houses Africa’s busiest border post, Beitbridge. That comes with its own challenges as residents of Musina and Beitbridge often shun the border post, opting to cross illegally through porous border fences.
“For me, activism comes first. That is why I can speak with my conscience even if it is unpopular.”
Ramathuba has led the fight against the pandemic from the front and is often seen on the ground at emerging hotspots.
She says the introduction of young, energetic people into her team has brought innovation. “We are doing what needs to be done, even when it has meant allowing walk-ins for vaccinations far earlier than everyone else, because we realised the registration system was not working.”
Almost 8% of adults in Limpopo have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. This is a better vaccination rate than any other province, and well ahead of the national average of 6.11%.
While other rural provinces like KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape are struggling with distribution due to the long distances people have to travel for access, Limpopo has outpaced them and some better endowed provinces in vaccinating its people.
It is leading SA’s Covid-19 vaccination rollout in terms of doses administered as a percentage of the province’s adult population and its registration of elderly residents.
Ramathuba attributes this to good planning, partnering with churches, and equipping community health-care workers with smartphones and data.
“You have got to be humble, go to churches, go to traditional leaders, get their buy-in, keep them updated. That is what is working,” she said.
There is no doubt the country’s effort to fight the pandemic has been set back by health minister Zweli Mkhize being placed on leave in light of the Digital Vibes tender saga.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which investigated Mkhize’s possible involvement in the matter, has completed its report and handed it to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
While the contents of the report have not been made public yet, the president could soon be looking for a new health minister if leaked hints are anything to go by.
Ramathuba’s strong showing in a province with the least developed infrastructure and low literacy levels could place her among a group of capable people to replace Mkhize, should the president decide to do so.
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