Buck most stop at certain ANC individuals

THE ruling of the Gauteng High Court declaring levels 3 and 4 of the lockdown as unconstitutional is a stark reminder of the draconian and authoritarian attitude taken by the ANC in general and by ministers Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Bheki Cele in particular.

The restrictions imposed by these two ministers have been passed off as a “collective decision”, an age-old terminology used by the ANC to avoid and evade singular blame.

President Cyril Ramaphosa should take heed of the motto of a famous American president who declared: “The buck stops here.”

Someone needs to take responsibility for decisions taken for and (on) behalf of the ruling party, the “collective decision” excuse is a cop-out.

The high court ruling also shows a complete lack of foresight by the party, in particular the two aforementioned ministers, by not examining the legal aspects and pitfalls of making decisions without first checking the validity of their decisions in relation to the Constitution which they themselves crafted. A very poor display yet again by the ANC whose performance since the lockdown commenced leaves a lot to be desired.

COLIN BURGER | Assagay