Mzansi expects President Ramaphosa to announce level 2 lockdown

Mzansi expects President Ramaphosa to announce level 2 lockdown

- South Africa is expecting President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce the relaxation of lockdown restrictions on Saturday night

- The National State of Disaster is set to expire at midnight and Mzansi believes that Ramaphosa will announce that SA will move to lockdown level 2

- However, Dr Zweli Mkhize has said that the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) has not yet reached a decision

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South Africa is expecting good news from President Cyril Ramaphosa tonight. He is expected to address the nation and announce the next step in the lockdown process.

The National State of Disaster is set to expire at midnight tonight and many people are expecting Ramaphosa to announce that South Africa will move to lockdown level 2.

However, according to SABC Dr Zweli Mkhize has said that the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) has not yet reached a decision.

“We are discussing it with the NCCC. The coronavirus council will give us a guide on that and I’m sure when the President speaks, whenever he does to give us guidance, that question will be well answered. Right now a lot of consultations are going on certainly with the numbers that are moving there are certain adjustments that we need to look at no decision has been made yet about level 2.”

Mzansi expects President Ramaphosa to announce level 2 lockdown
President Cyril Ramaphosa is under a lot of pressure to announce level 2 lockdown. Photo credit: Facebook/@South African Government
Source: Facebook

Briefly.co.za learned that there is a lot of pressure on the government to reduce the lockdown restrictions and begin opening up the economy further.

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for the economy to open up and for people to get back to work.

“While we should all continue to wear our masks and adhere to safety protocols, we need to pick up the pieces and start to rebuild our shattered economy, which has lost over a trillion rand and three million jobs to this long, irrational, secretive, brutal hard lockdown,” explains interim leader John Steenhuisen.

The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) shares the DA's sentiments and also calls for the government not to extend the national state of disaster.

“It will be a very serious mistake not to extend the state of disaster, But moving forward, we will call upon President Cyril Ramaphosa and the National (Coronavirus) Command Council, not to sent out confusing messages. They must speak with one voice. The country is approaching a very serious face of COVID-19 and President Cyril Ramaphosa must show firm leadership in the fight against coronavirus. Cope will support the further extension of the state of disaster,” Bloem says.

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Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has asked Cabinet to consider extending the Declaration of the National State of Disaster.

Her department confirmed that the proposal was received by Cabinet which is currently considering the submission.

The one-month extension of the Declaration is set to expire on 15 August at midnight after being invoked on 27 March at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In other news, Democratic Alliance interim leader John Steenhuisen has once again called for an immediate end to the Covid-19 national lockdown.

In a statement issued on Friday, Steenhuisen explained that millions of South Africans are running the risk of losing their income due to the restrictions:

“Millions of livelihoods are in peril as thousands of businesses cannot plan for the immediate future, and every day more and more of them are taking the heart-breaking decision to close their doors."

With so much at stake, the opposition leader wondered how SA's president was so silent on the subject:

“As far as making critical and urgent decisions right now to save our economy, which is fast collapsing thanks to a self-inflicted lockdown crisis, he is nowhere to be seen."

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Source: Briefly News

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