Weekly highlights 07 May 2021

Weekly Highlights 07 May 2021 - Issue No. 92 In this issue Dear Colleagues Addressing Disability @RAF On Wednesday, 05 May 2021, World Hand Hygiene Day was observed globally. In the present times, this day holds Funny how I got the nicknames Deputy Minister a lot of significance in our lives as we are battling against of Finance/ Miss CCOU the COVID-19 pandemic. This day is observed to make Positive feedback for acting ethically! people aware of the importance of hand hygiene. Improving Services at Licence Testing Centres The theme this year is: “Achieving hand hygiene at the point of care”. This year, the World Health Organization Pfizer vaccine hits SA shores (WHO) has called on healthcare workers and facilities to reach the effective hand hygiene action at the point of Understanding SA’s vaccine roll-out plan care or the place where these three factors come together – the patient, the healthcare worker, and care or treatment COVID-19 Statistics that involves contact with the patient or their surroundings. Washing hands and using sanitiser frequently gained the the fun page utmost importance since the coronavirus took over the world. Letters to the Editor The WHO has also recommended the right technique to The Internal Communication Unit is pleased wash your hands which says that a person should spend to introduce a new feature called “Letters at least 20 seconds to thoroughly clean the body part to to the Editor”, to our newsletter. Through ensure any kind of virus or potential infection is wiped this platform, we invite our readers to share out. It is not only the healthcare workers but community comments, feedback, and suggestions they members alike can play a role in preventing infections by may have regarding our articles. Readers practising regular and frequent hand washing. are encouraged to submit their letters, of no more than 200 words, to [email protected] Although hand hygiene is not a new concept, it has and [email protected]. We are looking assumed more significance owing to the current health forward to hearing from you. crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has led us back to the basics. Simply using soap and clean water to wash Editor: Thabang Mahlatsi ([email protected]) your hands thoroughly or rubbing them clean with an Reporter: Thandeka Ngwenya ([email protected]) alcohol-based sanitiser can reduce disease exposure Reporter: Mpho Mabaso ([email protected]) tremendously. Sub-editor: Tholakele Radebe ([email protected]) Media Production: ASA Logistics ([email protected]) We therefore still encourage all team RAFzin members to Editor-In-Chief: Anton Janse van Rensburg ([email protected]) regularly wash their hands. This will aid in the fight against the spread of this deadly virus. Enjoy this week’s Highlights! Kind regards Internal Communication

The center of excellence, and in particular the Knowledge Management unit was recently tasked to craft and develop a People with Disability (PWD) Strategy for the RAF. The purpose of the RAF PWD Strategy is to facilitate the future employment and inclusion of disabled people within RAF and also promote information and knowledge on disability management. According to the World Health Organisation “Disability” is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions – a condition that makes it difficult for a person to do certain activities or interact with the world around them. These conditions, or impairments, may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. Impairments causing disability may be present from birth or occur during a person's lifetime and may hinder a persons’ full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. The strategic objectives of the PWD Strategy are:  To create information and knowledge on disability management within the RAF;  To ensure employment inclusion of disabled people within the RAF;  To promote and facilitate accessible recruitment and retention strategies for PWD within the RAF;  To promote the awareness, understanding and acceptance of the needs of PWD amongst the employees of the RAF;  To promote a safe and healthy work environment to all current and prospective PWD in the RAF; and  To develop and implement reasonable accommodation policies and guidelines to address disability needs for the workplace in the RAF. To view the raf pWD strategy, click here. Knowledge Management 03 May 2021

Funny how I got the nicknames Deputy Minister of Finance/ Miss CCOU by Matshidiso Sebueng Matshidiso Sebueng The names Deputy Minister of Finance and Miss Central- ised Court Orders Unit (CCOU) came about when han- I have been employed by the Fund for three years dlers got tired of my endless list of outstanding items and and one month. I am a typist in the Claims Finalisa- the returns I would make regarding payment documents. tion Department, based in Menlyn. My job entails So they would only respond to my greetings when I had making sure that every court order received is nothing in my hand. So, in short, they would jokingly say attended to, and all outstanding documents/ files “Matshidiso is tiring, we are busy with trials”. are brought to the Capital Payment Department for requesting payments. With the advent of COVID-19 and the subsequent restric- tions, working from home was frustrating at first. We had The first few months in this role were a bit challenging to adapt to new ways of working productively because because I wasn’t familiar with the place and the people. business had to continue. In all honesty, it was hard and I felt as if I was failing at it, but with the help of my team and Supervisor, Eduard Van I was among the people working from home together with Rooyen, I got the hang of it. some claims handlers, from both Litigation and Determina- tion. During the hard lockdown, a new method of work- I started working more on my feet than at my desk. I ing had to be introduced to ensure that claims were still moved a lot around the office building and gained a lot of attended to. We moved from hard copy files to emails. confidence to ask when I wasn’t sure of what was re- Claims handlers had to send a “settlement pack” which quired and expected. Within a year of doing this job I got included a court order that is stamped; a court order with to know all the relevant people in the Claims Department an acceptance letter from the attorney confirming the court and learnt that in order for me to do my job effectively, order and a Memo or approved Executive Summary. I needed to know all the claims handlers in the Claims Department. I had a lot of administration work to do, ensuring that all documents sent were complete and keeping records of all Once I got that, my work started moving at a greater pace. the settlement packs as well as the names of all the load- I often do face-to-face follow-ups of outstanding matters, ers to whom the packs were allocated. It was a bit slow at collecting and carrying files. Through that I got to build first because some documents were missing, some emails good relationships with the handlers and the communica- did not provide sufficient information and we had more tion between them and I got better. My performance im- returning queries. proved and I started enjoying my job more because I was able to account for every single outstanding matter and I I remember my Supervisor calling to inform me that the was applauded for each and every effort I was putting in. Claims Department had allocated some handlers to assist us with the work. Initially, we only had three handlers from CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Litigation and as the process continued the Determina- tion and Litigation team also came on board with a list of handlers that could help. Even other team members of the Centralised Court Orders Unit (CCOU) jumped in to as- sist. The additional assistance from other teams improved our workflow. We managed to be effective regardless of the circumstances we found ourselves in. I believe that communication is everything, once we master that we can achieve everything. Every day has its challenges but we take each one as it comes. The best part of my job is knowing that I have touched someone’s life with a simple smile or making an extra effort, whether that includes performing my everyday duties or lending an ear. Matshidiso Sebueng is a Typist 3 in the Claims Finalisation Department, based in Menlyn

Positive feedback for acting ethically! by Tsitsi Nyanhongo a mere expression of gratitude. In this light, I feel obliged to say the man is distinct. Had he been dishonest and calculative, he would probably have asked me to withdraw and give him cash. The world and not only the RAF deserves more man like Vincent, men who will not be bought or sold no mat- ter what the price, men who are true to principle even though the world may fall. I will be sending him an e-mail too to express my grati- tude per your advises. Herewith, proof of the reversal.  The Ethics Office would like to shine the spotlight May Blessings Abound on Vincent Lekolwana who is a Junior Accountant Kind Regards in the Finance Department for living up to the RAF [Name withheld] Values and adhering to the Ethics Policy. Vincent received an appreciation gift in monetary form from an attorney, which he disclosed to his Manager, Ryan Oosthuizen, and to the Ethics Office. The at- torney was educated on the RAF’s stance on em- ployees accepting gifts from stakeholders and was requested to retract the gift, which she did. The Ethics Office would therefore like to thank Vin- cent for his honesty and integrity, and further take this opportunity to remind all employees that as per the Ethics Policy, employees should not accept offers of benefits for performing their RAF duties. Remember: You will not go wrong by doing right! Below is the email from the aforementioned attorney: Good day Sir, I trust you are well and thank you kindly for the e-mail under reply. I must commend Vincent for his outstanding profes- sional etiquette. I am actually even shocked to learn that there is such a policy at the RAF which is also very much commendable. I did express my sincerest gratitude to Vincent and Tsitsi Nyanhongo is an Ethics specialist based in 4 even informed him that considering the magnitude of Eco Glades assistance rendered to me, I would be sending him some gratuitous payment per e-wallet. In all earnest, he was adamant that my expression of gratitude sufficed and even went on to inform me that he is a Christian and believes in fairness and justice even professionally. It is me who felt compelled to go beyond CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

Improving Services at Licence Testing Centres Researched by Thabang Mahlatsi Minister Fikile Mbalula “In addressing the backlogs arising as a consequence Minister of Transport of the COVID-19 restrictions during different alert levels, operating hours at DLTCs occupy the spotlight, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has expressed and require our immediate attention, while remaining concern at preliminary investigations suggesting alive to basic conditions of employment, which include that corruption is the reason for the unavailability overtime,” Mbalula said. of booking slots at various Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) in Gauteng. He said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), working closely with provincial and local au- On Friday, the Minister met with authorities involved in thorities, was looking into the matter. DLTCs’ operations across all three spheres of govern- ment in Gauteng, following complaints about opera- Interventions, said the Minister, must deliver a system tions in the province. that improves efficiency, eliminates corruption and modernises processes so as to eliminate the need for The meeting was aimed at improving service delivery end-users to queue at DLTCs. and enhancing efficiency in the functioning of DLTCs. “In addressing the backlogs arising as a consequence “The objectives of the meeting today are to take stock of the COVID-19 restrictions during different alert of the challenges and agree on decisive interventions levels, operating hours at DLTCs occupy the spotlight, that effectively address the challenges facing Gauteng and require our immediate attention, while remaining and its DLTCs, managed by local authorities. alive to basic conditions of employment, which include overtime,” Mbalula said. Gauteng is the first of these engagements, as the chal- lenges are more pronounced here, than in any other The Department of Transport is paying particular atten- province,” the Minister said. tion to the roll-out of online services in a manner that improves efficiencies and minimises the time the end- He said the Road Traffic Management Corporation user spends in a queue. (RTMC), working closely with provincial and local au- thorities, was looking into the matter. Continues on next page Interventions, said the Minister, must deliver a system 5 that improves efficiency, eliminates corruption and modernises processes so as to eliminate the need for end-users to queue at DLTCs. “Post our engagements, we will unpack the modalities of these interventions and commit to firm timelines on the roll-out. CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

2020, 90.3% of these have since been renewed. This leaves a total of 239, 087 vehicles without valid licence discs on the roads. “It is important to note that the Gauteng percentage of vehicle disc renewals stands at 89.6%, below the national average of 90.6%. “Similarly, out of the 4, 856, 636 vehicle licence discs that expired between 30 September 2020 and 31 January 2021, Gauteng accounts for 85.4% renewal, below the national average of 86.1%. In a nutshell, of the 7.1 million vehicles due for renewal between March 2020 and January 2021, 6.3 million have been renewed,” the Minister said. Out of the 900, 000 discs that have yet to be renewed, 250, 000 of these are in Gauteng. The ultimate end goal is to eliminate these queues, Source: once the full bouquet of online services has been www.sanews.gov.za successfully rolled out by the RTMC. Following Thabang Mahlatsi is a Specialist: Internal the declaration of the State of Disaster due to the Communication, based in Eco Glades COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, we issued directions on the operations of DLTCs in an effort 6 to curb the spread of the pandemic through these centres,” the Minister said. The department extended the validity of vehicle licence discs, temporary permits and roadworthy certificates that expired during the period that commenced from 26 March 2020 up to 31 May 2020 for a period that ended on 31 August 2020. “This period has not been extended beyond this date and motorists are expected to comply with the law and renew their vehicle licence discs. “Validity of learner’s licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits that expired during the period that commenced from 26 March 2020 up to 31 December 2020, was extended for a further period ending on 31 August 2021,” the Minister said. Out of the 2, 465, 439 vehicle licence disks that expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

Pfizer vaccine hits SA shores Researched by Thabang Mahlatsi The country’s vaccination programme on Sunday He said this was due to a protracted safety verification reached a welcome milestone with Health Minister, process with international regulatory agencies: Food Dr Zweli Mkhize, announcing the arrival of the first and Drug administration (FDA), European Medicines batch of the Pfizer vaccination doses. Agency (EMA), and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). The 325, 260 doses arrived at the OR Tambo Interna- “This is a precautionary measure following the adverse tional Airport (ORTIA) at 11.45pm. findings during an inspection of the Emergent BioSolu- tions Bayview facility in the USA, one of the manufac- “The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Struc- turing partners of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, ture (NATJOINTS) has considered all the security which prompted authorities to extend their assessments arrangements from when the vaccine lands at ORTIA of all the Johnson & Johnson stock worldwide,” he said, to when it is transported to the vaccination sites,” the adding that the assessments were still underway. Minister said in a statement. He said the department was confident that the final outcome would be positive and that, provided that there He said the NATJOINTS had engaged all security were no further disruptions, the doses would be in a agencies to ensure all necessary security procedures position to be released by Aspen. were in place for safe delivery of the vaccines and “In the meantime, we will continue to vaccinate our made the necessary arrangements with the police. healthcare workers with the remaining early access doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines,” he said. Upon arrival, he said, the entire batch would be trans- The Minister called on all healthcare workers, traditional ported initially to a central warehouse. healers and all citizens above the age of 60 to register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS). “Samples will be sent to the National Control Labora- tory for quality assurance and, after release, will be Source: SAnews.gov.za distributed to the provinces,” he said. Following this initial delivery of the Pfizer vaccines, Mkhize said government was expecting approximately the same number of doses to arrive on a weekly basis to a total of over 1.3 million doses by the end of May. “Thereafter the vaccine supply will increase to an aver- age of 636, 480 per week from 31 May, which will see us accumulating close to 4.5 million doses by the end of June,” he said. With regards to the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Mkhize said the department had received communica- tion that the doses awaiting dispatch in Gqeberha were expected to be released around the middle of May. “Thereafter the vaccine supply will increase to an aver- age of 636, 480 per week from 31 May, which will see us accumulating close to 4.5 million doses by the end of June,” he said. With regards to the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Mkhize said the department had received communica- tion that the doses awaiting dispatch in Gqeberha were expected to be released around the middle of May. Thabang Mahlatsi is a Specialist: Internal Communication, based at Eco Glades CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE 7

Understanding SA’s vaccine roll-out plan Researched by Dr Adriaan Taljaard In his 11 January National Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa made it clear that South Africa, like countries the world over, was em- barking on a massive COVID-19 vaccination programme. With our country’s vaccine roll-out underway, below are updates on its develop- ment: 10 facts to kick-start your understanding of the na- tional COVID-19 vaccination programme to date: • Government has procured sufficient vaccines for the national vaccination programme - and to vac- cinate 41 million adults, it is hoped, by the end of 2021. • Vaccines will be administered in a phased manner according to a national prioritisation framework. • Phase 1 of the country’s vaccine roll-out pro- gramme began on 17 February and so far over 300, 000 healthcare workers have been vaccinated. It is desired that 1.25 million healthcare workers will be vaccinated in total, with 500, 000 vaccinated by mid-May and the remaining approximately 600, 000 vaccinated during Phase 2 of the vaccine roll-out. • In Phase 2, which is set to begin on 17 May, around 16.5 million South Africans will be prioritised for vaccination based on age and other vulnerable sec- tions of the population. • Electronic registration for everyone who wishes to receive vaccines in South Africa will open from 16 April. • This phase will include the help of the private sector to optimise vaccine roll-out efficiency and speed. • Vaccines will be administered at public and private vaccination centres throughout the country in the months to come in Phase 2 of the vaccine roll-out process. • Phase 3 will involve vaccinating the remaining adult population of approximately 22.5 million people. • South Africans must register on the national EVDS in order to be vaccinated when they are eligible. • In order to achieve population immunity by the end of 2021, it is necessary for 250, 000 to 300, 000 people to be vaccinated each day (this to be CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Continues on next page 8

achieved by the end of Phase 3 of our vaccine roll- By registering on EVDS you will automatically be al- out). located a place in the virtual queue for vaccination. The queue is based mainly on age (the elderly go first) and How many vaccine doses has South Africa se- vulnerable sections of the population. The queue is not cured? determined on a first-come / first-served basis, so you don’t have to rush to register. You must, however, regis- By the start of April 2021, South Africa had secured a ter on the EVDS to secure your place in the queue and total of 51 million vaccines through various manufactur- to receive a vaccination code that you will be required ers and these will be used to vaccinate 42 million adults to present on the day of your scheduled vaccination. in the country. Electronic registration for everyone who wishes to These 51 million doses consist of 31 million Johnson & receive vaccines in South Africa opened for people over Johnson (single dose) and 20 million Pfizer (two-dose) the age of 60 years on 16 April. vaccines. And, in the near future we will also receive 1.2 million vaccines from COVID-19 Vaccines Global A national register for COVID-19 vaccinations will be Access, Covax. established through this system to assist with the tim- ing, procurement and roll-out of vaccines. Vaccination South Africa has received just over 1 million Johnson & will be administered at public and private vaccination Johnson doses at the end of last month. These will be centres throughout the country. All those vaccinated are given to the remaining healthcare workers and also to placed on a national register and given a vaccination people eligible for vaccination in Phase 2 of the national card. A national roll-out committee will oversee the vac- roll-out. These doses are now produced locally at the cinations in both the public and private sectors. Aspen plant in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) so delivery time will be enhanced. An additional 900, 000 ShvhcphSBayttatothtttarcppnpueictls:d:r-ek//icr:/en/im/awwes/mewmiswews-:iwrnaacwwot,pwl.--C.lthSh1o.hde1eouoein-asstupj-taalctrptrheh-noelpa-.uvsAfgrneoiaodofrrrrgevyyiHcr..n-zcea2ecaos-0yar/.s.2wzolg-ta1lnhpolo/a-vcJuct.ooizotor-uanpCnr/toasnoerlpavn-aeelititd/sfeeuf-moc/1pchr9loto(e--wvcaVsiowdd/asns-cwt1t/aca2.9tibin0e-nhue2m-enc.1pekdo/di0nevsf2tiir-dss/pMa-tr1a.eeo9nsdr-digidia)ne-gn-ts-a- Johnson & Johnson doses are expected in June. Dr Adriaan Taljaard is the Acting Client 9 The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is likely to Relationship and Stakeholder Officer based in Eco be used in the inoculation of communities where mobil- ity is high and people are more difficult to trace or not Glades able to return for a second dose. When did Phase 1 of our roll-out process begin? South Africa began vaccinating healthcare workers on 17 February 2021. Zoliswa Gidi-Dyosi, a Cape Town nurse, became the first South African to receive the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at the Khayelit- sha District Hospital. When does the second phase of our vaccine roll- out start? The second phase of the country’s vaccination roll-out will begin on 17 May with millions of vaccine doses expected to arrive in South Africa in the coming weeks. The aim is to finalise Phase 2 within six months, by the end of October 2021. To ensure supporting infrastructure is in place, over 2,000 vaccination sites have been identified across the country. These include general practitioners’ rooms, community clinics and pharmacies, retail outlets and in some instances, larger facilities like stadiums and conference centres. How to use the National Department of Health’s EVDS? All South Africans that wish to get a COVID-19 vaccina- tion must register on the national EVDS. This system has been developed by the National Department of Health and is the central registration system for CO- VID-19 vaccines in South Africa. CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE



THE FUN PAGE This week we take a humorous look at water cooler conversations. Enjoy! NOTE TO READERS: What kind of content would you like to see on this page in future editions? We would love to hear from you! Kindly send your suggestions to: [email protected]