File
President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to meet the Presidential Coordinating Council on Wednesday to engage with the nine provincial Premiers amid a resurgence of Covid19 infections in some provinces.
Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, said he was informed that the National Covid19 Command Council met on Tuesday and this will be followed by a meeting of the Presidential Coordinating Council where he said: “the President engages and consults with the nine Premiers.”
Last week Health Minister, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, concluded a two-day visit to Nelson Mandela Bay where he announced that the Covid19 resurgence was driven by increasing infections in the two provinces and that government did not want this to become a "national phenomenon."
The Health Minister recommendations tabled by Eastern Cape stakeholders during his visit would be discussed at the National Covid19 Command Council meeting before any decisions were announced.
Meanwhile, Winde said that while they were considering their own interventions, the Western Cape Government would not engage the President on their position on the existing regulations during Wednesday’s meeting.
“This is because all regulations under the Disaster Management Act are promulgated by the National Government and not Provincial Governments. During this consultation, the Western Cape will strongly argue against any blunt instrument, like a lockdown, being imposed on the province,” Winde said.
He said everything possible must be done first, through individual and collective action to ensure that the resurgence is rolled-back, and to prevent “this tool” from ever having to be used again.
“A lockdown would be disastrous for our economy, will cause major job losses, and indeed a humanitarian disaster, and must be prevented at all costs,” Winde said.
Presidential spokesperson, Tyrone Seale, confirmed the meeting of the Presidential Coordinating Council on Wednesday to News24 but said the agenda would be determined at the virtual meeting.
