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President Cyril Ramaphosa provided an overview of the ANC’s plans for the country after the party’s national executive committee met over the weekend.
Ramaphosa indicated that the meeting covered a number of topics, including the economy, corruption, land and reforms. However, most of the discussion seems to have focused on the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s economic recovery plan.
The president said South Africa is now facing one of the biggest threats from the pandemic – that the activities people engage in during the holiday season will spark a second wave of coronavirus in South Africa.
He said there is also a danger that, like other countries in the world, South Africa may face a second peak that is higher than the first and will lead to more deaths.
“If we have a second wave, it will not only cost lives and potentially overwhelm our healthcare system, but it will also undermine our economic and social recovery efforts,” he said.
However, Ramaphosa said that for the first time since the pandemic began, there is now a chance that it will come to an end through the use of a vaccine.
He said South Africa is in the process of finalizing its process at the Covax facility, which is a resource sharing initiative that will provide countries with adequate access to various potential vaccines.
“It is anticipated that we could have access to a suitable vaccine by the second quarter of 2021 and we will initially receive quantities for at least 10% of the population.
“While this gives us hope, the reality is that it will take some time before we can vaccinate enough South Africans to be sure there will be little or no transmission of the virus, and it will be an expensive undertaking.
“We need to prepare for this and be ready to make tough decisions about where to find the money and when to deploy it,” he said.
On Monday, South Africa reported 3,313 new cases, bringing the total reported to 817,878. Total deaths have reached 22,249, a daily increase of 43.
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