The world’s longest hard lockdown, and not Covid19, killed our economy
17 June 2020
President Ramaphosa announcement tonight of a further lifting of lockdown restrictions is an admission that the lockdown serves no purpose and has failed. He seems to have finally realised just how devastating this lockdown has been – and will continue to be – for ordinary South Africans, but it’s happened far too late. Everything he announced tonight could have – and should have – been announced almost two months ago.
It is unclear at which level of the lockdown we now find ourselves – not that it makes much difference, as the lockdown is now de facto ended. But this ending comes too late to save thousands of businesses and millions of jobs.
The president’s words of commiseration for all the industries and businesses that haven’t been able to operate and whose employees have earned no salary these past 80 days ring hollow indeed, as it is his government’s irrational lockdown that has caused this misery. The truth is that the world’s longest hard lockdown, and not Covid19, killed our economy and ruined the lives of millions of South Africans.
And what do we have to show for it? Nothing, is the short answer. The lockdown has only delayed the peak of the spike by a couple of weeks. The president conceded as much, saying infections are growing exponentially.