Photo: GCIS / Flickr
Photo: GCIS / Flickr
Buckle up, strap yourselves in, and quite possibly… lock yourselves down. Cyril Ramaphosa is set to address the nation at 20:00 on Sunday 27 June – and it’s highly likely we may have to prepare for the worst for this ‘family meeting’.
What time will Ramaphosa address the nation on Sunday?
The president will deliver a televised speech – his third one in the past four weeks – as South Africa’s coronavirus crisis continues to spiral out of control. In the last month, Mzansi has entered its third wave of infections, and plummeted down two lockdown levels. Citizens now face the prospect of a ‘hard lockdown’, something not seen since May 2020.
On Saturday, we had it confirmed that the Delta variant – a more transmissible and dangerous mutation of COVID-19 – is becoming dominant within our borders. Over the last few weeks, more new infections have been caused by Delta than any other strains. Acting Health Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said that Gauteng is being ravaged by this variant, too.
Will South Africa return to ‘hard lockdown’?
The province accounts for a majority of all COVID-19 cases in SA, and Kubayi has warned that this trend will eventually spread to all corners of the Republic. Our winter of discontent now looks bleaker than ever before.
A communication was issued by the government earlier this afternoon, confirming that a family meeting will take place on Sunday evening. A series of high-level meetings will precede Ramaphosa’s speech, before new regulations are shared:
Family meeting: Ramaphosa to update lockdown laws
“A special NCCC convened, to receive a report from the scientists on the prevalence of the Delta variant in South Africa. As a result of these developments, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) will meet this afternoon to propose recommendations on the country’s response to the surge in virus infections.”
“The NCCC will meet again tomorrow, followed by a special Cabinet meeting. The President will then address the nation at 20:00 on Sunday. The scheduled media briefing set to take place tomorrow has, therefore, been cancelled.”
