Ramaphosa accused of using level 1 lockdown to help ANC
Soon after announcing that South Africa will be moving to an adjusted level 1 lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa was accused of using the less intense regulations to benefit his party ahead of the local government elections.
Among the changes that Ramaphosa announced on Thursday night was that:
- Normal alcohol sales will be permitted, however, no alcohol can be sold after 11 pm.
- Curfew will now run from 12 pm to 4 am.
- The number of people allowed to attend indoor gatherings has increased to 750, while 2,000 people may attend outdoor gatherings.
‘Petty electioneering’
The EFF has criticized the “lacklustre” announcement.
It accused Ramaphosa of “petty electioneering” and said the government “has long abandoned science in their response to the pandemic”.
“It is an undeniable fact that Ramaphosa has only eased lockdown restrictions to ensure that he can campaign without breaking the laws he had set for the rest of society,” the EFF said in a statement.
“These laws, particularly in relation to gatherings, have been broken by Ramaphosa on his campaign trail, while his lackeys in the establishment expected the EFF to obey his nonsensical regulations and run a campaign that would undermine our electoral prospects.”
Many people on Twitter agreed with the EFF.
This level 1 nonsense is mere blackmail to allow the ANC to campaign freely without your criticism , it has absolutely nothing to do with you, me and or us.
Remember Ramaphosa has failed black people on this country dismally so!!!#Ramaphosamustfall
— BLACK LIVES MATTER (@GACCURSIUS) October 1, 2021
Now that Ramaphosa wants to campaign freely without restrictions of numbers he is opening the country to level 1. Coronavirus is the latest to be captured by him to serve his interests and that of his party amongst other stuff he captured like Judiciary and IEC.
— Justice Forever (@gmalau32) September 30, 2021
Cyril Ramaphosa is going to move the country to level 1 so that they can campaign for elections in peace without hard lockdown regulations.#FamilyMeeting pic.twitter.com/CUqG0uhYJd
— King Selepe Lesedi🔵 (@DJKingSelepe) September 30, 2021
Ramaphosa is working overtime to get his party elected, Level 1 is just part of the ANC’s election campaign pic.twitter.com/TGCcmURAVB
— Siyabonga Ndlovu (@Siyabonga__NDL) September 30, 2021
Vaccination rate
The DA also criticized the move to level 1, but not because the restrictions were eased. Party leader John Steenhuisen called for Ramaphosa to end the lockdown altogether.
“People are suffering and jobs continue to be lost unnecessarily to senseless restrictions that have long since been ignored by his own party. President Ramaphosa and his government appear not to grasp the severity of our jobs crisis that has produced the world’s highest recorded unemployment rate of 44%,” said Steenhuisen.
Steenhuisen said the government should rather focus on improving its vaccine drive.
He added “lockdown restrictions simply tilt the electoral playing field for those willing to break the law, undermining the prospects for a free and fair election”.
IFP election manifesto
The IFP, meanwhile, lamented that Ramaphosa’s address happened at the same time as the party launched its election manifesto.
Although IFP founder Mangosuthu Buthelezi expressed “sadness” at the timing of the address, he said it was a coincidence.
“Whoever advised president Ramaphosa has let the IFP down as they would also have loved to hear the president’s address, as they are part of the nation,” said Buthelezi.
Reacting to Ramaphosa’s address, trade union federation Cosatu said it was “deeply concerned” at the decrease in daily vaccination rates.
It wants the government to explain how the vaccine certificates will be made widely available to people in rural areas and those without access to the internet.
-The Citizen
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