DA leader John Steenhuisen has called on the president to review the lockdown.
He said on Wednesday that President Cyril Ramaphosa have to “grow a spine” and end South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown.
“The DA calls on President Ramaphosa to end the hard lockdown now, including the irrational bans on tobacco and alcohol. The tourism industry, schools, and borders need to be fully opened, the curfew lifted, and the state of disaster ended.”
“It is high time for Ramaphosa to grow a spine, stand up to his party and start putting South Africa first,” said Steenhuisen.
The DA leader said South Africa’s Covid-19 infection rate was already declining.
“At the same time, our recovery rate has increased significantly. While this is no reason to drop our guard, it is reason enough to fully open our economy. This must happen immediately.”
Steenhuisen also said that the second wave of Covid-19 infections was “unlikely but not impossible”.
“Either way, we cannot hide from this virus forever while our lives and livelihoods fall apart. We need to learn to live with it, since it will still be with us for many months, perhaps even years, to come”.
He also said the economy was losing so much because of the lockdown.
“While we should all continue to wear our masks and adhere to safety protocols, we need to pick up the pieces and start to rebuild our shattered economy, which has lost over a trillion rand and three million jobs to this long, irrational, secretive, brutally hard lockdown.”
He condemned the way the government handled the situation.
“A capable, caring government could have bridged vulnerable households and business across that short divide, saving lives and livelihoods. Instead the ANC government opened up a wide chasm and allowed people and businesses to fall to their deaths.”
