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President Cyril Ramaphosa says the government’s response to Covid-19 has destroyed silos in the state and allowed it to function more effectively.
The president spoke during his visit to Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday, where he assessed the response of the Eastern Cape provincial government to the coronavirus.
“Very often, in government, people build their own fiefdoms and have their own silos, but dealing with this disaster has allowed us to destroy these silos and allowed us to work together effectively,” said Ramaphosa.
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He said state capacity has always been a concern, but the government’s response to stop the spread of the new coronavirus has shown improvement in this regard.
Ramaphosa said that the government was working harder and more effectively than ever. He said that the crisis, as a result of the coronavirus, was forcing the government to act much faster than it used to.
“I participate in meetings almost 20 hours a day, 18 hours a day. We are working much harder and more effectively,” he said.
The president again admitted during his visit to the Eastern Cape that there had been missteps in the government’s efforts, but said that most of the time he was doing things right.
In a speech to the nation Wednesday night, Ramaphosa promised to amend and correct the mistakes made by the government during the seven-week shutdown.
He said that government implementation had sometimes been slow, while enforcement had sometimes been inconsistent and too harsh.
Unknown waters
Ramaphosa again emphasized that the government was “going through unknown waters.”
“We dare not fail,” the president warned.
He highlighted some positive aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the fact that ministers and vice ministers were working together in a much more integrated way.
“(Covid-19) has allowed us to see the really serious challenges facing our people. The challenges of the real and overwhelming poverty to which our people are subjected. It has evoked a more determined determination to meet those challenges,” Ramaphosa said.
He also noted that the pandemic had allowed the government to do the right thing for the people of South Africa.
“Covid-19 says that we must provide water in schools before those schools open, because those schools should not open until there is water … and adequate sanitation,” he said.
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