That’s when the MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Gabisile Shabalala handed out disposable masks, hand gloves and sanitizers to the traffic officers in Vintonia, Mbombela on Wednesday morning.
She was accompanied by HOD of community safety, security and liaison, Busisiwe Nkuna, and the department of health’s manager of Expanded Programme on Immunisation Provincial Outbreak Response Team, Gugulethu Mashabane.
Mashabane taught and briefed the traffic officers about the Covid-19 and the do’s and dont’s and how to stay safe.
“Masks and gloves are disposable, do not use the same mask over and over again, use it once and dispose of it correctly. When using gloves, you can sanitize them but do not remove and wear them again as they will be contaminated,” said Mashabane.
READ: Dos and Don’ts of the LOCKDOWN
Shabalala warned traffic officers that they should always stay safe and always be in their protective gear.
“You handle licenses every day and you do not know the health state of that person you will be attending to, it’s best be safe than sorry. Do not remove your mask when you want to talk to a driver, use the masks and gloves, we care about your safety,” said Shabalala.
Thando Nkambule, one of the traffic officers expressed gratitude on what the MEC did for them. “We learnt a lot today and we are truly grateful and we are going to make sure that we stay safe,” said Nkambule.
Shabalala said that she will be out and about during the lockdown, checking if the people are abiding by the law and whether the officers are taking precautionary measures.