Covid 19: Democratic Alliance's John Steenhuisen Wants an End to the State of Disaster

Covid 19: Democratic Alliance's John Steenhuisen Wants an End to the State of Disaster

  • Leader of the Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen says it is time for South Africa to put an end to the State of Disaster
  • Steenhuisen says the State of Disaster has created an environment for corruption to thrive because of a lack of oversight
  • Steenhuisen has also called out President Cyril Ramaphosa for the ANC manifesto launch where Covid 19 regulations were not followed

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JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen says the political organisation is not in favour of mandatory Covid 19 vaccinations.

The statement comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the South African government would be issuing vaccination certificates.

Covid 19, Democratic Alliance, John Steenhuisen, the State of Disaster. President Cyril Ramaphosa, Digital Vibes, Covid-19, Coronavirus
Democratic Alliance's John Steenhuisen says South African revisit the State off Disaster when the fourth wave hits. Image: Wikus de Wet
Source: Getty Images

In an interview with eNCA, Steenhusien started off by criticising Ramaphosa for encouraging South Africans to follow lockdown regulations when people clearly disregarded the regulations at the ANC's manifesto launch.

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When it comes to vaccinations, Steenhusien says that South Africa now has an excess amount of vaccines and every adult in the country who wants the vaccine could have gotten it by now. He said that it was time for South Africa to return to some form of normalcy without the State of Disaster.

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Steenhuisen added that if we happen to go into a fourth wave next year then the idea of a State of Disaster can be revisited.

"If we go into a fourth wave next year, we can always relook at the State of Disaster," said Steenhusien.

Steenhusien says ending the State of Disaster will help South Africans regain the livelihoods they have lost out on because of the pandemic.

He added that the State of Disaster has created an oversight problem and he said what happened with the Digital Vibes scandal was proof that, according to a report by The South African. He added that the State of Disaster has allowed corruption to thrive.

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DA believes Ramaphosa is responsible for the Digital Vibes scandal

Briefly News previously reported that the Democratic Alliance is of the opinion that President Cyril Ramaphosa is somehow responsible for the corruption scandal that transpired in the Department of Health and Digital Vibes.

The opposition party's statement comes after Ramaphosa allowed the Special Investigating Unit's report on the tender corruption between Digital Vibes and the Department of Health to be published to the public.

The DA says that it would work towards ensuring that all parties implicated in the SIU's report are held accountable for their actions, according to a report by SABC News.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Lebogang Mashego avatar

Lebogang Mashego (Current Affairs HOD) Lebogang Mashego runs the Current Affairs desk. She joined the Briefly News team in 2021. She has 6 years of experience in the journalism field. Her journalism career started while studying at Rhodes University, where she worked for the Oppidan Press for 3 years. She worked as a lifestyle writer and editor at W24 and Opera News. She graduated with a BA degree majoring in Journalism and Media Studies in 2017. She's a recipient of the INMA Elevate Scholarship. Email: lebogang.mashego@briefly.co.za