• President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the Western Cape on Friday to inspect facilities in the province that has the most Covid-19 cases.
• Ramaphosa said there should be no obstacles to securing essentials like beds as the province and the country approached its peak.
• He supported the "district model" employed in the province following some success in regions such as Witzenberg.

The coronavirus will be with South Africa for at least 18 months to two years, and governments should never be found wanting in securing essentials such as emergency beds.

This was the blunt warning by President Ramaphosa to South Africa on Friday as he officially opened a massive 862-bed "Hospital of Hope" in the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde echoed Ramaphosa, saying: "Yes, Covid-19 is going to be a marathon."But the president also called the Covid-19 crisis a "war".

Ramaphosa said: "We are at war. A life-and-death war. Saving lives must remain the main issue. This is a war we must win," he urged.

And he promised Winde a lack of funds would not be the obstacle towards ensuring enough testing kits, hospital beds, staff and budgets to pay for "all the tools" required to fight Covid-19.

Speaking of the need for more beds, Ramaphosa said: "We must always be ahead of the curve. We must never be found wanting. We must pull out all the stops."

He added the Western Cape was being watched "extremely closely" as it led South Africa in Covid-19 cases by far.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said of the country's 40 000 cases, around 27 000 were in the Western Cape or 66%. And of the 848 deaths nationally, 651 have been in the Western Cape or 77%.

Ramaphosa was grateful for the presentation showed to him on the province's plans, and expressed his concerns about the high number of cases in the Western Cape.

"The Western Cape is the epicentre of Covid-19 infections, and this concerns us deeply as leadership of the country, and it's for this reason we felt it necessary to come here.

"We need to address this and I'm glad this presentation has identified a number of interventions we've embarked upon."'

District model'

Ramaphosa said he supported the Western Cape government's strategy and tactics, and hoped the "district" model - as practiced in the fruit-farming Witzenberg Municipality - would be rolled out across the province, and South Africa.

The president heard from Western Cape health department head Dr Keith Cloete the most dangerous comorbidities were diabetes and hypertension.

Another key insight was "socioeconomic conditions" and "density" worsened the spread of the infection - as found in many poor areas.

Ramaphosa praised the province and national government for collaborating closely, and reiterated South Africa was a "unitary state" - a reference to the fact different political parties govern in the Western Cape, as compared with the national government.