Ramaphosa, Steenhuisen clash over ‘advanced level 3’
Democratic Alliance (DA) interim leader John Steenhuisen has told President Cyril Ramaphosa that he is the only person who still believes the country is under level three of the lockdown.
Steenhuisen made the remark while posing a question to Ramaphosa during a hybrid sitting of the National Assembly on Thursday.
It was the first time Ramaphosa appeared in the National Assembly since he declared a national state of disaster in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“Now the lockdown is all but over in name only, you’re the only person that believes that we are in lockdown advanced level three, whatever that means,” Steenhuisen said.
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The sitting came a day after Ramaphosa announced the further easing of the lockdown restrictions, with the personal care industry, restaurants and casinos now also allowed to operate.
"And given this, why do you insist on keeping us in a state of disaster and what can you do in a state of disaster that you cannot do under an ordinary cause of government,” Steenhuisen wanted to know.
While addressing the nation on Wednesday night, Ramaphosa told South Africans that more sectors of the economy would be allowed to resume operations.
These include hairdressers, restaurants, casinos, cinemas and theatres.
All these sectors will be opening for the first time since the lockdown was implemented at the end of March.