EFF slams easing of lockdown restrictions
THE EFF said yesterday that the party rejected the easing of Covid19 lockdown restrictions that were announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night.
According to the party, the rejection was based on Covid-19 cases spiralling “out of control, and health infrastructure and personnel collapsing”.
“We further reject the meaningless condemnation of alcohol abuse by a president who allowed the resumption of the sale of alcohol in the midst of a global pandemic,” the party said via a statement.
In a televised address, Ramaphosa further eased lockdown restrictions in order to get the cogs of the struggling South African economy moving.
The country remains in Level 3 of lockdown, but with certain sectors set to be able to resume business, namely restaurants for sit-down meals, personal care services, work-purpose conferences, commercially-licensed accommodation venues, cinemas, theatres and casinos, and non-contact sports.
The EFF said in its statement that the president had “completely divorced himself from logic” by opening up the sectors.
“The various relaxations to certain sectors of society in terms of the lockdown has made the entire effort inconsistent and irrational. As Ramaphosa stumbles into conceding to white monopoly capital, he undermines the very purpose of the lockdown, restricting certain activities illogically as he has basically reopened society.”
The party said it had “consistently argued” that the only basis for eased lockdown restrictions should be “scientific” and in line with declining
infections and deaths.
The EFF also lashed out at Ramaphosa for his linking of alcohol abuse to gender-based violence, saying the president had “no moral authority” to speak on this.
“He is complicit as he is the one who allowed alcohol to be sold after he was told of the destructive impact alcohol has on South African society.”
The country’s ban on alcohol was lifted when it moved to level 3 restrictions on June 1.
According to South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the county had a total of 80 412 infections as of Wednesday night, 44 331 recoveries, and 1 674 deaths.