In a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, the South African government announced on Thursday that it planned to erect a new 40km fence at the Beitbridge border to prevent possibly infected people from crossing into the country illegally.
Addressing the media in Cape Town, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille said the fence would be critical in following through with the containment measures outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa during his briefing on Sunday night.
“I have invoked emergency procurement procedures in relation to the erection and repairs of the border fences east and west of the Beitbridge border post,” she said.
“The President stated that 35 of the 53 land entry points will be closed. This measure will, however, not be effective if the fences at the border are not secure, which in many places they are not.”
According to De Lille, the fence will be around 40km long and 1.8m high, and will be built on either side of the border post land entry. She added that it would cost around R37 million, with a target date for completion set for next month.
“Due to the project being an emergency, my department has instructed the contractor to increase the number of teams deployed and the rate of delivery tenfold,” she added.
As fear of the disease escalates, some reports state that if the virus is not contained it could lead to a staggering 300 000 deaths. – Bjorn Vorster
