President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is transitioning from relief to recovery after months of battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Writing in this week’s edition of his newsletter, the President said when the National State of Disaster was declared in March, the immediate priority was to contain the spread of the virus and provide emergency relief to citizens, communities, workers and businesses of the country.
He referred to the social assistance grants and other measures made available to the public as part the relief measures during this time, and stated that the additional social grants had helped to prevent millions of people from falling below the food poverty line.
President Ramaphosa wrote that had government not intervened to secure livelihoods and businesses, the living conditions of South African citizens and the circumstances of thousands of businesses would have been considerably worse.
He said plans are now being converted to action and commitments are being reflected in jobs and opportunities.
“It is all the more critical at this time, more so with the festive season approaching, that we do not become the architects of our own undoing. The greatest vigilance is required from us all to keep the virus at bay,” concluded the President.
Meanwhile, the Presidency said that Ramaphosa would brief the nation on issues of national importance during a session in Parliament on Thursday.
