The national state of disaster could finally be a thing of the past as the government intends to end it as soon as it has finalised other measures under the National Health Act and other legislation to contain the pandemic.
THE national state of disaster could finally be a thing of the past as the government intends to end it as soon as it has finalised other measures under the National Health Act and other legislation to contain the pandemic.
“Nearly all restrictions on economic and social activity have already been lifted. Vaccines have proven to be the best defence we have against illness and death from Covid.
“If we all get vaccinated, continue to observe basic health measures and remain ever vigilant, we will be able to get on with our lives even with the virus in our midst,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address last night.
He said in addition to the divides of race, geography and education, the pandemic exacerbated the divide between those who are employed and unemployed.
The country has been under the national state of disaster for nearly two years since the first Covid case was reported in March 2020.
“Since Covid-19 reached our shores, we have endured successive waves of infection, the emergence of new variants and the devastating cost of nearly 100,000 recorded deaths. South Africans have responded to this grave threat with courage and resilience, with compassion and restraint.”
He said the government took unprecedented actions to strengthen its health system, build laboratory capacity and prevent infections.
However, this has been marred by the looting of billions of rands meant to help the country fight the pandemic. Among those implicated in the theft of public funds are people with close ties to Ramaphosa.
None of them are behind bars despite the damning Special Investigating Unit reports implicating them.
Gauteng health department official and anti-corruption whistle-blower Babita Deokaran was shot dead outside her Winchester Hills home just after returning from dropping off her child at school. Her killing was suspected to be linked to her role in the investigation into dodgy PPE contracts in Gauteng. She was reportedly a key witness.
Ramaphosa said the government was conducting a detailed review of all applicable legislation and a comparative study of other jurisdictions to strengthen whistle-blower protection.
The relevant law enforcement agencies were also taking the necessary steps to address the immediate concern about the safety of whistle-blowers, he said.
“The nation owes a great debt of gratitude to the dedicated healthcare workers and other front-line staff who put their health and their lives at risk to care for the ill and vulnerable during this pandemic,” he said.
Cape Times
