STATEMENT BY BRETT HERRON, GOOD SECRETARY GENERAL & MEMBER OF WESTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL PARLIAMENT
17 JUNE 2020
COVID-19 LOCKDOWN: FURTHER EASING OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SIGNALS LOCKDOWN HAS DONE WHAT IT CAN
ADDITIONAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES WILL ASSIST THE MOST VULNERABLE BUSINESSES
The President’s announcement that the Coronavirus pandemic’s doubling rate had reduced to 12 days, and that the lockdown had given the health system the time to prepare to treat those who need medical care, was a signal that the hard lockdown of economic and social activity has achieved as much as can be expected.
The onus now shifts to each of us to exercise the hygiene and behavioural protocols of wearing a mask, keeping our hands sanitised and maintaining safe distances from other people.
The phasing in of trade for restaurants, hair salons and personal care services is a welcome step.
These are some of the most vulnerable small businesses and their survival depends entirely on their ability to trade actively. These are not businesses that can operate, as many of us have been doing, remotely.
We have seen and heard of too many of these small businesses announcing their permanent closure. We hope that this announcement will begin to turn that around.
We welcome the President’s strong condemnation of femicide, gender-based violence and the violence against children.
The GBV pandemic has a long history in South Africa and the time for handwringing and talking must be over.
The President’s announcement of legislative changes to introduce harsher sentences and stricter bail conditions is welcomed. In some countries the law has been changed to recognise femicide as a specific offence which attracts a harsher punishment.
Empowering our law enforcement and justice system to deal with the perpetrators who get caught addresses the symptoms of a society that is broken.
There is still work to be done to fix a society that is too violent and that will take a different set of interventions that will end the socialisation of young boys and men to abuse and be violent.
Ends…