Opposition parties welcome NMB lockdown restrictions

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of tighter measures in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality in the Eastern Cape, has been largely welcomed by opposition parties. In his address to the nation on Thursday, 3 December 2020, Ramaphosa declared the region a COVID-19 hotspot.

The leader of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Bantu Holomisa has not taken issue with Ramaphosa’s announcement but has called on government to take advantage of its relations with the international community.

“We have no reason to doubt the position which has just been outlined by the government. We are looking forward to the people of the Eastern Cape complying with the restrictions. However I think the time has come for government to use their relationships with other countries. Make sure that you apply the bilateral agreements you have and go direct to those countries like Russia and the US, which have developed a vaccine,” Holomisa said.

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) John Steenhuisen has taken note of the fact that Ramaphosa opted not to return to a nationwide lockdown, and said this spoke to the damage lockdowns have on developing economies.

“We welcome the fact that the President has resisted the temptation to return the country – or parts thereof – to a higher level of lockdown. It would appear that lessons about the ineffectiveness and destructiveness of lockdowns have finally been learnt, albeit nine months too late,” Steenhuisen said.

Steenhuisen: Western Cape has capacity to tackle COVID-19 cases

Steenhuisen has urged Ramaphosa to intervene in the unfolding crisis in Nelson Mandela Bay and ensure that the necessary healthcare capacity is made available to residents.

He has further echoed Ramaphosa’s continuous calls for South Africans to apply the necessary health and safety guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“Significant behavioural changes are still the best weapon to combat not only the spread of infections, but also to prevent other medical trauma from clogging up our hospitals and ICU beds. Citizens need to play a bigger role in this behaviour change effort, but where they don’t we need increased law enforcement to step in and see to it that the laws and regulations are not abused,”

DA leader John Steenhuisen

Ramaphosa has also flagged the Sarah Baartman District in the Eastern Cape and The Garden Route District in the Western Cape – as areas of concern – having seen a dramatic spike in COVID-19 infections. He said Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize would soon be visiting the areas to conduct a full assessment before determining whether measures can also be implemented there.

However Steenhuisen said Premier Alan Winde and his team have been able to demonstrate that there is hospital capacity to deal with the surge in COVID-19 infections and resources available to manage the crisis.

“The situation in the Garden Route remains manageable obviously warnings from the president this evening need to be heeded by all parts of the country, particularly as we go into the festive season around large gatherings and around letting your guard down,” he said.