The MEC has been caught giving out “explosively wrong” stats.
Health MEC Sasekani Manzini is said to be busy publishing thumb-sucked Covid-19 stats on the her department’s Facebook page and misleading the Mpumalanga province in the process.
Manzini has made publishing statistics her trademark, the DA in Mpumalanga has said.
Manzini was caught between Monday 4 May and Wednesday the 6 May 2020 publishing false statistics of Covid-19 infections in the province.
The DA said they watched Manzini’s updates with shock and discovered that in her infographics –
1.) She published that the JS Moroka local municipality in Siyabuswa had zero positive cases of Covid-19 and later on the day it appeared that there were actually 2 positive cases.
2.) She published an infographic that Middelburg had 2 positive cases while a map accompanying the infographics was showing 1 case.
3.) She reported that Pixley ka Seme in Volksrust had 4 positive cases and that one Covid-19 patient had recovered yet on the accompanying map it showed that 2 patients have recovered in the area.
4.) The accompanying map shows that Nkomazi had 19 positive cases of Covi-19 and 9 had recovered while her infographic shows that out of the 19 positive cases in Nkomazi, only six had recovered.
5.) She reported that Govan Mbeki municipality in Secunda had only one positive case, a change from her Monday report where she reported that Govan Mbeki had two positive cases of Covid19. Within a space of 5 minutes, Manzini changed the report and put up a new report and infographic where she has now changed the eMalahleni Covid19 positive cases from two to one.
The DA’s Jane Sithole said they are going to ask for the Mpumalanga health MEC to be charged for the Disaster Management Act regarding inaccurate COVID-19 data.
“We have submitted an application on the Promotion of Access to Information Act to compel health MEC Sasekani Manzini to release accurate statistitcs, this cannot be left unchallenged,” Sithole said.
Sithole said Manzini didn’t even bother explaining the confusing numbers “or why she removed the infographic”.
“Manzini must be charged for distributing false Covid-19 data which is in contravention of Section 11 of the Disaster Management Act.
“If Manzini is not charged for spreading false news on Covid19, she will continue to lie to the people of Mpumalanga with stats that she has made up herself and is changing them whenever it suits her. She is playing politics with our lives,” said Sithole.
MEC Manzini has made publishing wrong stats her trademark and such behaviour cannot be condoned. She must be held accountable for causing more panic amongst residents with her erratic behaviour.
On Wednesday morning on the 6th of May, Manzini published Mpumalanga Covid19 stats again on the official Mpumalanga Health Department Facebook page with Dr JS Moroka reporting only one positive case of Covid19, a change from her Monday report which she reported that Dr JS Moroka had two positive cases of Covid19.
Manzini also reported this morning that Govan Mbeki had only one positive case of Covid-19, a change from her Monday report where she reported that Govan Mbeki had two positive cases of Covid-19.
Within 5 minutes Manzini changed the report and put up a new report and infographic where she has now changed the eMalahleni Covid-19 positive cases from two to one.
“If Manzini is not charged for spreading false news on Covid-19, she will continue to lie to the people of Mpumalanga with stats that she has made up herself and is changing them whenever it suits her. She is playing politics with our lives,” said Sithole
She said Covid-19 is not “an ANC pandemic” but a global one.
“Mpumalanga is the only province where Covid-19 stats are fluctuating. While the numbers of positive cases of Covid-19 keep fluctuating back and forth, the people of Mpumalanga are worried about these inconsistencies and they’re looking for answers
“The DA is extremely worried that Mpumalanga is the only province where the Covid-19 Provincial Central Command does not include opposition parties represented in the legislature,” she said.
(edited by MLM)
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