Response by Premier Alan Winde on announcements by President Cyril Ramaphosa: “Let’s get to work”
We welcome the announcements by President Cyril Ramaphosa this evening which will help ease the burden that many businesses have faced over the past few months, and which is the first, vital step required to tackle the second pandemic of unemployment, hunger and increased levels of poverty which we face in the Western Cape and South Africa. It's now time to get South Africa back to work.
As I have said before, a job is not just a nice-to-have. It is the difference between putting food on the table and starving for many people in our country. That is why the Western Cape Government argued from the beginning that we should not view our Covid-19 response as a zero-sum game. We can and must fight this coronavirus pandemic, but we can also allow the economy to open while doing so, saving the jobs and livelihoods for our residents. I am glad that this is now the path being pursued by the national government.
As a province, we welcome the announcements which will impact the tourism, hospitality and agri-processing industries which are significant job creators in the Western Cape. Our provincial government has lobbied for all businesses which can operate safely, to be allowed to do so, and for the domestic sale of alcohol to be reintroduced, with smart interventions in place.
These new announcements will mean an even greater responsibility on individuals, families and businesses to follow the golden rules at all times – the hardest work of all starts now. As the Western Cape Government, we are going to be committing our energy to developing a recovery plan which will focus on jobs, safety and dignity and well-being, while ensuring that our hotspot interventions remain in place to slow the spread of the virus.
We have worked around the clock as a province to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to put in place all of the medical interventions that were required for this pandemic. We will not lose any of this focus and drive as we now turn our attention to the economy, to saving jobs and addressing the humanitarian crisis.
In return, we ask the people of this province to partner with us. To step up and to take personal responsibility to ensure that as we re-start the engines of our economy, that we continue to contain and slow Covid-19.
Businesses must operate safely, with all of the correct protocols in place, and as individuals we must abide by the remaining regulations, wear our masks, practice social distancing and keep up with hygiene practices such as hand washing and regular cleaning of surfaces.
Now is the time for us all to pull together and build a stronger, more resilient future for this province.
Let’s get to work.
