Most parties overwhelmingly support Ramaphosa’s lockdown extension

The Economic Freedom Fighters have come out in support of the president, saying only scientific evidence and analysis should compel Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend the lockdown.

The EFF is among a group of parties that gave overwhelming support to Ramaphosa’s decision to extend the lockdown by 14 days. The president held a teleconference with the leaders of political parties four hours prior to announcing the decision publicly.

However, the DA said it would have preferred a gradual phasing out of the lockdown over the coming weeks as opposed to its continuation in its current form.

EFF national spokesperson Delisile Ngwenya said: “We believe that it should only be a scientific and data-based analysis of the spread that should lead to the suspension of the lockdown.”

She said while the EFF welcomed the extension of the lockdown, the party was not convinced that government had taken adequate measures to mitigate against the economic and subsistence consequences on ordinary people.

“We call on government to impose an interest fee payment holiday for three months for all people who cannot afford to make the monthly payments due to the lockdown.”

DA interim leader John Steenhuisen described the lockdown regulations as severe and economically crippling.

“Our great concern is that President Ramaphosa has justified this extension as if we face binary choice between health concerns and economic concerns. We think it is a great mistake to think in terms of lives versus livelihoods. This is a false dilemma,” Steenhuisen said.

Ngwenya, however, accused Ramaphosa and the National Command Council on Covid-19 of “tip-toeing around the financial services sector and being afraid to provide decisive and clear direction to protect the people from economic jeopardy and property repossessions”.

“We call on government to immediately place a moratorium on all forms of repossessions by the banks and all creditors. We call for a complete end to evictions from properties and land occupied for residential purposes.”

She also asked for lease cancellations of small and medium enterprises.

This idea was supported by the Al Jama-ah party, whose leader, Ganief Hendricks, asked that there be no interest for three months from 1 April.

“The hardship will be reduced if South Africa has an interest-free economy for three months,” Hendricks said.

He expressed disappointment that the financial sector had so far ignored the calls. Hendricks asked for the introduction of more regulations to control interfamilial infections within households.

Cope national spokesperson Dennis Bloem said the suspension of the lockdown was in the hands of the people.

“If we respect and abide by the lockdown regulations, we are convinced that we will come out of this lockdown victorious,” Bloem said.

The ANC’s Pule Mabe welcomed he extension and lauded Ramaphosa, the entire cabinet and premiers for taking salary cuts. Mabe said the move was an “exemplary human and noble gesture”.

Ramaphosa announced that senior government officials would donate a third-of their salaries to the Solidarity Fund for the next three months.

The president appealed to executives in the private sector, state-owned enterprises, MPs and councillors to follow suit.

“The ANC fully concurs with the president that ending the lockdown too soon risks a resurgence of the infection rate,” Mabe said.

ericn@citizen.co.za

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