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By Siyabonga Mkhwanazi 
September 2, 2020
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told MPs on Wednesday that the country has weathered the Covid-19 storm as fewer cases are being reported.
Cape Town – Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has defended the blockade in Parliament saying it was the right decision to prevent more deaths in the country due to Covid-19.
He told MPs on Wednesday that the country nonetheless weathered the Covid-19 storm with fewer reported cases.
Mkhize said that with the volume increase they will continue to open up the economy.
He said that opening the economy is not about big business, but about the people who are the backbone of the economy.
He also said that there were more than 240 healthcare workers who died from Covid-19 and more than 31,000 infected were with the virus.
When Lindy Wilson Federal District Representative Lindy Wilson said she delays opening up the economy, Mkhize said it was best for the country to implement the strict lockdown to prevent the death of more people.
“At that time, if we did not shut down, South Africa would be worse off than it is today. The reality is that we have made the best of the situation. You must stop politicizing the issue. Yes, we must rebuild the economy,” Mkhize said.
“When we opened up the economy it wasn’t about big business, it was about the people who are the backbone of the economy,” Mkhize said.
Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu also told MPs that they have received eight million applications for R350 unemployment benefit and processed five million of these applications.
The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has been electronically processing applications for unemployed people.
“When you look at the eight million people who applied and the five million who have been paid, there has been a small number that have penetrated the system,” Zulu said.
She said they were dealing with those who weren’t supposed to get the R350 grant or the double dip.
Political Bureau
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