CEO of Inkunzi Wealth Group, Owen Nkomo says the lockdown extension is extremely reasonable.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday night extended the nationwide lockdown by a further two weeks.
Nkomo says he is impressed by way the president delivered the message.
He says, “I’m very impressed by the overall manner that our government has managed to arrest this coronavirus. Their response over the past couple of weeks has been phenomenal and I think the unpacking on the extensions in my view is extremely reasonable and I think the government at the same time has put behind this decision in support of the economy and I’m hoping the implementation will follow suit in making sure that people do get the support placed by government.”
In the video below, Owen Nkomo unpacks lockdown extension:
ANC welcomes extended lockdown period
The African National Congress (ANC) has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the lockdown period will be extended.
The ANC says it fully concurs with the President that ending the lockdown too soon risks a resurgence of the infection rate.
“We commend the people of our nation for their discipline and compliance since the lockdown was announced two weeks ago.”
The party adds: “This has demanded a lot of sacrifices on the part of individual citizens, whose personal freedoms are severely curtailed, but have rallied behind government’s drastic measures intended to defeat the invisible enemy. As a nation, we must do everything we can to prevent the possible loss of lives that will certainly occur if we do not act.”
Gradual phasing out
The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes the intention of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet to extend the nationwide lockdown until late April to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus in South Africa.
“We would prefer a gradual phasing out of the current lockdown over the coming weeks as opposed to a continuation of the severe and economically-crippling regulations we currently see.”
The party adds: “Our great concern is that President Ramaphosa has justified this extension as if we face a binary choice between health concerns and economic concerns.”
