Risky putting politics before principle

SOUTH Africa’s lockdown, one of the longest and toughest anywhere in the world, enters a new phase of level 3 on Monday.

It has been a long haul for every one in this country, made easier by the calm and collected leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Sadly, we can’t say the same for his ministers who have managed to confuse and confound with regulations that have been both Kafkaesque and contradictory.

It’s important that this continuing dissonance in official communication is resolved quickly because the public is becoming increasingly vexed.

The decision this week to open churches, temples, mosques and synagogues for worship – albeit under strict controls – is a case in point.

Notwithstanding the anguish of the twitterati who have been behaving as if weekly public worship will become mandatory from Monday, there are the complaints from others who ask why restaurants, bars and even public parks cannot be opened at the same time as business, education and now religion, if everyone takes the same precautions.

It is a fair point – and one that needs to be answered honestly by the government speaking with one voice. As long as this concern remains unanswered, the latest iteration of the lockdown will be tarnished by the belief that not only are the regulations unscientific and arbitrary, but that certain sectors of our society enjoy more rights than others.

That would be fatal, not just to the lockdown and the state’s attempts to manage the impact of Covid-19, but also to the greater question of what kind of society we will have when we emerge on the other side of this pandemic.

The government has enjoyed spectacular support across all sectors, underpinned by incredible goodwill, for the last 10 weeks.

It will need the same support for the road ahead.

It dare not squander it by putting politics beyond principle.