‘NCCC must eliminate inequalities in regulations’ – UDM Youth Vanguard

The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard (UDMYV) said the National coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) should relook its regulations and eliminate inequalities, as it does not seem to make sense. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced tighter restrictions on Sunday 12 July. The limitations include the return of the alcohol ban, as well as a 21:00 curfew. 

STRICTER REGULATIONS DUE TO PRESSURE ON HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

The UDM Youth Vanguard, in a statement on Monday 13 July, said it listened attentively to Ramaphosa’s announcements regarding stricter regulations, however, it doesn’t make sense. 

“The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard has noted that the president couched this decision as being necessary to relieve the pressure on our healthcare system. An immediate ban on alcohol was also imposed, because of misbehaving citizens who land in hospital due to alcohol-related injuries and this takes up much-needed bed space,” it said. 

“What we do not understand is that Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was super confident that our healthcare system was ready to deal with an enemy that has felled first world countries’ healthcare systems,” it added. 

The party said the president essentially admitted that the country’s healthcare system is in fact under severe pressure and is not ready as there is a serious shortage of more than 12 000 health workers. Hence, the reintroduction of stricter regulations.

“We hear of hospitals that have no water, staff who receive substandard personal protective equipment, bulk COVID-19 infections of hospital staff and how fear and anxiety are causing panic among them,” it said. 

“To make matters worse, we understand that analysis of the coronavirus’ genome sequence found a mutation, which makes the virus more infectious than the original strain; we better hope and pray this mutation does not happen in South Africa,” it added. 

NCCC ‘MAKING AND BREAKING’ AS THEY PLEASE 

The UDM said the NCCC and Cabinet are constantly “making and breaking” as they please without adequately unpacking its decisions. 

“We, therefore, call on Parliament, as the oversight arm of the state that holds the executive to account, to investigate our healthcare system’s state of readiness. Who was speaking the truth when? Something is severely wrong here,” it said. 

Besides the call for Parliament to intervene, the UDM Youth Vanguard maintained that there are faults within the regulations and “different strokes for different folks”.

“If children are forced to go back to school and risk coronavirus infection, Parliament must with immediate effect suspend its hybrid model of sitting, and all Members of Parliament must go back to their benches to work. We do not understand why it is different strokes for different folks,” it said.