Steenhuisen: Ramaphosa must ‘grow a spine’ and end lockdown
Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to “grow a spine” and immediately end the hard lockdown.
The call by the DA comes as the country has noted a significant decrease in Covid-19 infections over the past few days.
“It is high time for Ramaphosa to grow a spine, stand up to his party and start putting South Africa first,” he said.
“The DA calls on President Ramaphosa to end the hard lockdown now, including the irrational bans on tobacco and alcohol.
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“The tourism industry, schools, and borders need to be fully opened, the curfew lifted, and the state of disaster ended,” says Steenhuisen.
The DA’s call comes amid speculation that South Africa will move level 2 of the lockdown as the government looks to reopen more of the economy.
This means the ban on the sale of tobacco products and alcohol, which has cost the country billions of rands in lost revenue, could be lifted.
Cabinet is meeting on Wednesday and there are several reports that the president could address the nation before the end of the week.