The Congress of the People (COPE) has welcomed the stimulus package announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa with scepticism.
COPE says the country is already in a bankrupt state.
On Tuesday, the President announced a R500-billion package which will come from different sources.
Social grant recipients will be among the beneficiaries of the stimulus package and will receive increases in child support and other social grants for the next six months.
This pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities in our society. Govt is scaling up welfare provisions & food support to assist the most vulnerable. #COVID19 #CoronaVirusSA pic.twitter.com/4AMllEkPVD
— Presidency | South Africa ?? (@PresidencyZA) April 21, 2020
COPE Spokesperson Dennis Bloem says his party has serious questions about the package.
“Whilst we welcome it, the biggest question is where will this money come from? Will the country be able to afford it? Our country is already bankrupt. We want to raise serious concerns. Will the money reach the people that it is supposed to reach? The distribution of food parcels is a serious concern and needs urgent attention by the President. Remove all councillors and officials from the distribution points. The Department of Social Development is not helpful at all,” says Bloem.
Political parties react positively
Political parties have reacted positively to the social and economic relief plan announced by the President.
The African National Congress says the party is glad that the economic and social COVID-19 relief plan takes everyone in the country on board including the unemployed.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the President’s speech ticked the majority of the boxes that the DA had hoped it would.
DA Leader John Steenhuizen says the party is happy that the country will be moving towards easing lockdown restrictions to protect jobs and livelihoods, as indicated by the President.
The DA welcomes President #CryrilRamaphosa’s announcement tonight of a suite of economic support measures to counteract the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on individual South Africans, on businesses and on our economy as a whole. – @jsteenhuisen https://t.co/e6gfSdtLW7
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) April 21, 2020
The Inkatha Freedom Party says relevant departments must now unpack how they will implement measures, adding that Parliament will need to ramp up its oversight capacity.
FFPLUS leader, Pieter Groenwald also welcomed the plan as a step in the right direction but says his party would have liked to see more support for taxpayers and businesses.
In the video below, political parties express their reactions to the stimulus package:
-Additional reporting by Busi Chimombe
