DIRCO used WeChat to track locals in China during coronavirus outbreak - minister

Tencent-owned social media and communications application WeChat was used by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to register the presence of South Africans in China in a bid to assist them as the coronavirus continues to hit the global superpower.

This is according to Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor's written reply to Members of Parliament on her department’s role in assisting South Africans who were in China at the time of the COVID-19 virus.  

South Africa's capacity to respond to the virus will be tested, after it emerged that a man in KwaZulu-Natal tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on Thursday, with a high likelihood that the virus will spread.

According to World Meters, which sources its information from the World Health Organisation, 96 902 cases of coronavirus by Thursday globally. The virus has claimed 3 308 lives and of the total cases, 53 975 have recovered.

In China, WeChat has the largest following of any social media and communications application with over a billion users. The app also has functions for business networking and payment systems in the country.

Pandor said the department used the application to keep track of South Africans in China because the number of South African nationals outside the Wuhan province of China was not known. She said this was because South Africans are not obliged to register their presence with the South African Embassy when travelling.

"After the outbreak, the Department created a WeChat group in order for South Africans to register their presence, and to enable the Department to render consular service where necessary," said Pandor.

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Pandor said the South African Embassy met with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requested that they ensure the safety of South Africans during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a letter to National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise sent last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa said 151 South African National Defence Force personnel were deployed in March with assistance from the Department of Health and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

Ramaphosa said the personnel would facilitate the repatriation of South Africans from the province of Hubei at a cost of R25 million.

* Fin24 is part of 24.com, a division of Media24, which is a subsidiary of Naspers. Naspers has a stake in Tencent. WeChat is the flagship application of Tencent.