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The South African Congress of Trade Unions (Cosatu) has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to move the blocking level to 3 out of 4 “as soon as it is safe to do so” in the midst of an “economic firestorm”.
The federation’s call comes after Police Minister Bheki Cele said Monday that the committee overseeing the Covid-19 blockade regulations was discussing the possibility of bringing the country to Level 3.
However, the minister said he could not give an answer on when level 3 would be implemented, “but the time will come.”
Speaking to Business Day on Monday, Cosatu spokesman Sizwe Pamla said the country needed to go to level 3 as soon as it was safe to do so while simultaneously working to reduce Covid-19 infections.
“There is a risk that infections will increase, and the necessary health and safety measures must be implemented to reduce this risk,” he said.
Pamla said that since the Unemployment Insurance Fund (FIU) had already disbursed R11 billion as public aid benefits along with food packages, the government could not continue the looming economic crisis.
“Level 3 will allow most workers to resume work. This is essential to ensure that their jobs can be saved and that they can provide food for their families, but it must be done in a way that protects their lives, ”said Pamla.
Ramaphosa announced in April that R500 billion was set aside in a package of social and economic aid for the country’s economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to National Treasury projections, South Africa can lose up to 7 million jobs, which would raise the unemployment rate from 29.1% to 50%.
The Treasury projected that the economy would contract by 6.4%.
Ramaphosa was reported to visit the Western Cape, which has the majority of Covid-19 cases in the country, standing at 6,105, later this week after health minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize met with leaders. from the province over the weekend to discuss the rise in infections.
Pamla said Cosatu hoped that the president’s visit to the Western Cape would help the province develop a plan to help combat the spread of the virus.
On Monday, another partner in the ANC alliance, the South African Communist Party (SACP) criticized the handling of Covid-19 by the Western Cape and expressed concern about the impact of the pandemic on people and the economy.
SACP spokesman Alex Mashilo said the provincial government and the Democratic Alliance (DA) focused on earning money while people’s lives were at risk.
“There has been more emphasis on profit making than on human life. The DA has been driving a similar approach in SA, which is dangerous, “said Mashilo.
On Tuesday, the district attorney asked Ramaphosa to come out of hiding and speak to the nation about the “growing closure crisis.”
The president of the National Council of Trade Unions (Nactu), Pat Mphela, who also spoke with Business Day, said that all “Covid-19 hotspots” should be “strictly closed” to ensure stricter detection, testing and implementation of isolation measures, while Ramaphosa acknowledged that “extreme precautions” were maintained at level 4 to limit community transmission.
“Nactu is of the opinion that we should immediately move to level 3 to ease economic ramifications, while applying strict compliance measures,” he said.
(Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa)
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