My Fellow South Africans,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At midnight\ntonight, it will be exactly two weeks since our country entered into an\nunprecedented nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the course of these last two weeks, your lives have been severely disrupted, you have suffered great hardship and endured much uncertainty. We have closed our borders to the world, our children are not in school, businesses have closed their operations, many have lost their income, and our economy has ground to a halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yet, faced with such daunting challenges, you, the people of South Africa, have responded with remarkable patience and courage. You have respected the lockdown and largely observed the regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have accepted the severe restrictions on your movement and many of the daily freedoms that we all take for granted.You have done so because you have understood the devastating effect that this disease will have on the health and well-being of all South Africans unless we take drastic measures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have also understood that we must do everything in our power to prevent the massive loss of life that would occur if we did not act. For your cooperation, for your commitment and above all for your patience, I wish to thank you personally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wish to thank\nyou for reaffirming to each other and to the world that we South Africans are a\npeople who come together and unite at moments of great crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier today I had a most productive meeting with our Premiers about the work they are doing in provinces and districts to stop the spread of the virus. I also had a discussion with the leaders of all our political parties represented in Parliament, who collectively pledged their support for the efforts that are being made to combat the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through this we are demonstrating that we are able to work together across party lines to confront a common threat.Since I announced the lockdown just over two weeks ago, the global coronavirus pandemic has worsened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two weeks ago, there were 340,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the world. We now have over 1.5 million confirmed cases worldwide. Over 90,000 people across the world have died from this disease. The health systems of many countries have been overwhelmed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even the most developed economies in the world have not had the means to treat the many thousands who have fallen ill. They have struggled to find the medical supplies and personnel necessary to deal with the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The devastating effect of this is that many people have died. The global evidence is overwhelming.It confirms that our decision to declare a national state of disaster and to institute a nation-wide lockdown was correct and it was timely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While it is too early to make a definitive analysis of the progression of the disease in South Africa, there is sufficient evidence to show that the lockdown is working.Since the lockdown came into effect, the rate at which new cases have been identified here in South Africa has slowed significantly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
From 1,170 confirmed cases on the 27th of March, the number of confirmed cases today stands at 1,934.In the two weeks before the lockdown, the average daily increase in new cases was around 42%. Since the start of the lockdown, the average daily increase has been around 4%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we recognise the need to expand testing to gain a better picture of the infection rate, this represents real progress. The measures we have taken \u2013 such as closing our borders and prohibiting gatherings \u2013 as well as the changes that we have each had to make in our own behaviour, have definitely slowed the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the struggle against the coronavirus is far from over.We are only at the beginning of a monumental struggle that demands our every resource and our every effort. We cannot relax. We cannot be complacent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the coming weeks and months, we must massively increase the extent of our response and expand the reach of our interventions. We are learning both from the experiences of other countries and from the evidence we now have about the development of the pandemic in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both make a clear and compelling case to proceed in a manner that is cautious and properly calibrated.Simply put, if we end the lockdown too soon or too abruptly, we risk a massive and uncontrollable resurgence of the disease. We risk reversing the gains we have made over the last few weeks, and rendering meaningless the great sacrifices we have all made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fellow South Africans,This evening, I stand before you to ask you to endure even\nlonger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have to ask you to make even greater sacrifices so that our country may survive this crisis and so that tens of thousands of lives may be saved.After careful consideration of the available evidence, the National Coronavirus Command Council has decided to extend the nation-wide lockdown by a further two weeks beyond the initial 21 days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means that most of the existing lockdown measures will remain in force until the end of April.We will use the coming days to evaluate how we will embark on risk-adjusted measures that can enable a phased recovery of the economy, allowing the return to operation of certain sectors under strictly controlled conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We will also\nuse this time to ramp up our public health interventions. We did not take this\ndecision to extend the lockdown lightly.As your President,\nI am mindful of the great and heavy burden this will impose on you.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am keenly aware of the impact\nthis will have on our economy.But I know, as you do, that\nunless we take these difficult measures now, unless we hold to this course for\na little longer, the coronavirus pandemic will engulf, and ultimately consume,\nour country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We all want the economy to\ncome back to life, we want people to return to work, we want our children to go\nback to school, and we all want to be able to move freely again.But our\nimmediate priority must remain to slow down the spread of the virus and to\nprevent a massive loss of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We must do\nthis while preventing our economy from collapsing and saving our people from\nhunger.We are determined\nto pursue a path that both saves lives and protects livelihoods. Our strategy\nis made up of three parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As government,\ntogether with our many partners, we have used this lockdown period to both\nrefine and intensify our public health strategy to manage the coronavirus.Our approach is to screen in\ncommunities and test people in hospitals, clinics and mobile clinics, to\nisolate those who are infected, and to care for those who are ill in our health\nfacilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to do this intensively and systematically.We have used\nthe last week to develop our screening and testing methodology in various parts\nof the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the next two weeks, we\nwill roll out the community screening and testing programme across all\nprovinces, focusing in particular on highly vulnerable communities.Those who\ntest positive and cannot self-isolate at home will be isolated at special\nfacilities that have been identified and are now being equipped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At all times, we will observe the human rights of all people.
Let us not discriminate against people who test positive. To ensure that our strategies are effectively coordinated and to ensure they are informed by comprehensive, real-time data, we have established the COVID-19 Information Centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This world-class centre will keep track of all screening, testing, isolation and hospitalisation throughout the country.It is already identifying infection hotspots. It is following the spread and the severity of the disease, and enabling us to move our focus and resources where they are most needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are working with mobile\ntelephony companies and other institutions to locate those people who have\ntested positive for the virus and those with whom they have been in contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of the second element\nof our strategy, we have put in place various measures to provide support to\nbusinesses in distress, to workers facing loss of income, to the self-employed\nand to informal businesses.Many of these measures are being taken up by both large\nand small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Unemployment Insurance\nFund has set aside R40 billion to help employees who will be unable to work, as\npart of the effort to prevent jobs losses as a result of the lockdown.To date, it has paid out R356 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would like to applaud all\nthose employers who have continued to pay their workers during this difficult\ntime, as well as those employers who are working with unions and government to\nassist their employees to access these benefits.I would like to call on all\nbusinesses to continue to pay their suppliers, to the extent that they can, to\nensure that those suppliers can also continue to operate and pay their staff\nand suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this respect, I would like to\nappeal to all large businesses not to resort to force majeure <\/em>and stop paying their suppliers and rental\ncommitments, as such practice has a domino effect on all other businesses\ndependent on that chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We must do all\nwe can to ensure that the underlying economy continues to function and to focus\nsupport on those small businesses that really need them.The Industrial\nDevelopment Corporation has set aside R3 billion for the procurement of\nessential medical supplies. It has already approved R130\nmillion in funding and expects to approve a further R400 million in the coming\nweek to companies who applied for funding under this special facility.The Small\nEnterprise Finance Agency has approved the postponement of loan repayments for\na period of 6 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The small\nbusiness debt relief and business growth facilities are currently adjudicating\napplications for assistance.There is a total of R500 million available in support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Government has\nreprioritised R1.2 billion to provide relief to smallholder farmers and to\ncontribute to the security of food supply.In addition\nto these expenditure measures, the Reserve Bank has also lowered interest rates\nand has taken measures to inject liquidity into the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the\nbiggest challenges that all countries in the world are facing is the shortage\nof medical supplies to fight the coronavirus.As a country\nwe have had to rely on our own capabilities to supply these goods, but have\nalso had to source supplies from other countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent weeks, we have seen a\nmassive mobilisation of South African business, labour, academics and\ngovernment agencies to build the stocks of medical and other equipment needed\nto fight coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have, for example,\nestablished the National Ventilator Project to rapidly mobilise the technical\nand industrial resources of our country to manufacture non-invasive\nventilators, which can be used to support patients afflicted with the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other projects\nare focusing on increasing the local manufacture of protective face masks, hand\nsanitisers and pharmaceutical products which can be used by health care workers\nand the public at large.As the third part of our\ncoronavirus response, we have been working to provide basic needs such as water\nand to maintain the reliability of food supply to the poorest South Africans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have also\nexpanded the provision of food parcels and we\u2019ve provided spaza shops with\nfinancial support.To date,\ngovernment has delivered over 11,000 water storage tanks to communities in need\nacross the country, and many of these have been installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition,\n1,000 water tankers have been provided for the delivery of water. Several\nhomeless people have been accommodated in 154 shelters. It has already\nallocated around R1 billion to buy sterile gloves, face shields, surgical\nmasks, test kits and ventilators.It will also\nallocate funds for humanitarian relief to vulnerable households, in addition to\nthe R400 million set aside by government for Social Relief of Distress grants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these\nefforts, while necessary and commendable, will not be sufficient on their own\nto cushion the poor from the impact of this pandemic.Nor will they provide the relief that businesses and their\nemployees require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additional\nextraordinary measures will need to be put in place in the coming weeks and\nmonths to absorb the sudden loss of income to both businesses and individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are in a\nsituation that demands swift action and exceptional methods, a situation that\ndemands innovation and the mobilisation of every resource that we have.Cabinet\nwill be developing a comprehensive package of urgent economic measures to\nrespond both to the immediate crisis and to the severe economic challenges that\nwe must confront in the months ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further\nannouncements on the next phase of our economic and social support strategy\nwill be made in due course.An essential part of our response to this emergency is the\nprinciple of solidarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From across\nsociety, companies and individuals have come forward to provide financial and\nother assistance.In support of this effort, we have\ndecided that the President, Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers\nwill each take a one-third cut in their salaries for the next three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This portion of their salaries will be donated to the\nSolidarity Fund.We are\ncalling on other public office bearers and executives of large companies to\nmake a similar gesture and to further increase the reach of this national\neffort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this regard, we welcome the donation of 20,000 cellphones by Vodacom\nfor health workers that will be involved in screening and tracing in\ncommunities.As we have\nstressed before and we will stress once again, our struggle against the\ncoronavirus requires fundamental changes in behaviour from all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until we have contained the coronavirus, the same rules\nremain. We must\ncontinue to wash our hands regularly and thoroughly using water and soap or\nsanitiser.To stay safe\nand to keep others safe we must continue to respect whatever restrictions that\nare placed on our movement and on our daily lives<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past two weeks, I have\nbeen speaking to other African leaders about a coordinated continental effort\nto combat the coronavirus and support our people and our economies.We have\nestablished an AU COVID-19 Response Fund to mobilise the resources necessary to\nsupport this effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have reached out to world leaders, even as they struggle with the pandemic in their countries, to assist the continent with essential medical supplies and to support a comprehensive stimulus package for Africa. As we confront this disease in our country, we are part of a great global effort that is bringing humanity together in ways that many never thought possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For billions\nacross the world, and for us here in South Africa, the coronavirus pandemic has\nchanged everything.We can no longer work in the way we have before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As government, as NGOs, as\npolitical parties, as large corporations and small businesses, as financial\ninstitutions, as community organisations and as South Africans we will need to\nadapt to a new reality.As we emerge from\nthis crisis, our country will need to undergo a process of fundamental\nreconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To do so, we will draw on our\nstrengths: our abundant natural resources, our advanced infrastructure, our\ndeep financial markets, our proven capabilities in information and\ncommunication technology, and the depth of talent among our people.We will draw\non our proven capacity for innovation and creativity, our ability to come\ntogether in a crisis, and our commitment to each other and our common future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will learn\nfrom global experience and the best scientific evidence, but we will craft a\nuniquely South African response that uses our own capabilities as a nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This weekend is a sacred time for many South Africans.For many, it will be difficult to spend this time without their friends and family.I ask that you\nkeep in your thoughts tonight all in our land who are vulnerable, destitute and\nalone.I ask that\nyou give what you can to alleviate their burden. To contribute to the\nSolidarity Fund in any way you can. This is a difficult time for us all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet the message\nof Easter is one we carry in our hearts tonight. It is the message of hope, of\nrecovery and of rebirth.As we walk\nthis road together, as we struggle to defeat this pandemic, we remain strong\nand united and resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much is being asked of you, far more than should ever be asked. But we know that this is a matter of survival, and we dare not fail. We shall recover.We shall overcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n May God bless South Africa and protect her people. I thank you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My Fellow South Africans, At midnight tonight, it will be exactly two weeks since our…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-president-cyril-ramaphosa"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.ipan.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Screen-Shot-2020-04-12-at-5.47.45-PM.png?fit=2552%2C1064","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2179"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2187,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2179\/revisions\/2187"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.ipan.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am pleased to report that the\nSolidarity Fund \u2013 which was established to mobilise resources from companies,\norganisations and individuals to combat the coronavirus pandemic \u2013 has so far\nraised around R2.2 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shaking hands,\nhugging, sitting close to each other and other forms of physical contact enable\nthis virus to be transmitted, and must be avoided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n