‘End state of disaster… it’s no longer necessary,’ DA’s Steenhuisen tells Cyril Ramaphosa

Steenhuisen

Cape Town – Opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to end the national state of disaster, saying it is “no longer necessary” for managing the coronavirus.

In a statement, Steenhuisen urged Ramaphosa to allow the state of disaster to lapse on Saturday, January 15, the day it needs to be renewed if it is to remain in place.

January 15 will mark 667 days of the elongated state of disaster, which the DA claims is doing South Africa more harm than good.

“The state of disaster is no longer necessary for managing the virus. On the contrary, it is doing South Africa more harm than good, by undermining our social, economic and democratic recovery.

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“South Africa needs certainty. Investors need it, tourists need it, teachers need it, schoolchildren need it. Schoolchildren need to go to school full time. Not a couple of days a week.

“People need to know they can invest in businesses large or small without the rules of the game suddenly changing. Without investment, there will be no job creation and no sustainable poverty alleviation,” Steenhuisen said.

The government last month announced a relaxation in Covid-19 regulations, as it lifted the curfew in time for New Year’s Eve. It however, kept the state of disaster, saying the risk of increased infections remained high.

“The curfew will be lifted. There will therefore be no restrictions on the hours of movement of people,” the presidency said at the time.

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Compiled by Odwa Shumi

Additional reporting by AFP

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