Lockdown’s lesson for South Africa: Power to the people.

“Everything is more complicated than you think.” So says philosopher Kwame Appiah of the real-world consequences of well-intended “solutions”. This quickly becomes apparent when the “solution” is to criminalise the earning of a living.

The crucial lesson that lockdown holds for South Africa’s economic recovery is that we will not achieve an optimal outcome – maximizing social wellbeing or minimizing human suffering – while decision-making control is so concentrated in the hands of a small group of individuals.

Even assuming those ANC politicians in the National Coronavirus Command Council genuinely have the best of intentions and possess superior intellect and knowledge, it is still inherently impossible for them to take decisions on behalf of 60 million South Africans such that the optimal result is achieved.

Central to this conclusion is the inescapable reality that policy-making is about trade-offs rather than solutions. This is premised on three facts:

  1. Society is a complex web of interconnectedness. Making a change in one area to achieve immediate, visible results sets up a knock-on effect with consequences for the whole system, some unseen, unintended, longer term, and negative.
  2. Resources are limited. Targeting public resources at one group or programme means depriving another group or foregoing the opportunity to implement some other programme. The more limited the resources, the more painful the trade-offs. In South Africa’s case, our resources are extremely limited, since our nation was already in a precarious position even before Covid-19 arrived, with our economy in recession, growing poverty and unemployment, entrenched inequality and an incapable state.
  3. Society faces multiple, often competing, risks. Achieving an optimal outcome requires striking the right balance between them. Speed limits, for example, seek to strike an optimal balance between mobility and safety. The more accurately the risks can be assessed, the more likely it is that the right balance will be struck.

Covid is a deadly disease to many people, the true risk of which we are still only beginning to understand. There is so much we don’t yet know, but what we are all acutely aware of, is that it is an immediate and visible risk to society. So it is tempting to view support for South Africa’s extended lockdown as noble, and to view calls for people to be allowed to work as “callous”.

It is easier and more emotionally satisfying to focus on the problem under one’s nose and wish to solve it. Our tendency to do so is aggravated by the inherent bias in the media, since journalists can more readily report on immediate, visible problems.

More challenging is to identify and quantify the full set of consequences that ensues when one aspect of a complex, interconnected system is modified.

And yet this is what we must strive to do if our goal is to achieve an optimal outcome in the real world, where everything is indeed more complicated than we think.

Every life shortened or destroyed by covid is a human tragedy. But so is every life shortened or destroyed by extended lockdown, be it from malnutrition, suicide, police brutality, another disease the response to which was compromised as a result of lockdown, or grinding poverty. Poverty kills.

As Thomas Sowell notes: “Doing good on some problem right under one’s nose is not enough in a world of constrained options and systemic interactions, where the overlooked costs of immediate benevolence take their toll elsewhere.”

This sentiment is echoed by the economist Henry Hazlitt in his classic book Economics in One Lesson: “The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy, it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group, but for all groups.”

Realistically, there is no “solution” to covid that does not involve the destruction of lives. The reality is that extended lockdown is not a “solution”; it is a trade-off, and a highly complex one at that.

The best we can do is face reality head on and rise to the challenge of striking the right balance between the myriad risks we face, by considering immediate and longer-term costs, seen and unseen, so as to minimise overall human suffering.

No single individual or group of individuals can possibly do this on behalf of 60 million people, since the risk and incentives landscape for each individual, family, organisation, group and community will be different.

No matter how much more knowledge those on the NCCC may have, it will still not be anywhere near as much as the aggregated knowledge of 60 million people, all acutely aware of the details of their own circumstances.

No matter how well intended are the ANC politicians on the NCCC, the fact is that they are isolated from the real consequences of their decision-making. Those who suffer the real consequences of decisions are more likely to make optimal decisions, and will more quickly correct bad decisions.

Some individuals or families may decide that locking down is in their best interest. Others may reckon the risk to their wellbeing of foregoing an income is greater than the risk covid poses to them. Some schools may be ready to open. Others not.

If decision-making is decentralised so that individuals, families, groups and communities are empowered to act in their own best interest, the aggregated knowledge and incentives that will be brought to bear make an optimal outcome far more likely.

Of course, even with power less centralized, the state still has a crucial role.

With greater access to specialist knowledge – from epidemiologists and economists – the state should be providing people with as much information as possible to inform their decision-making. Instead, the state has been secretive, going so far as to force its advisors to sign non-disclosure agreements.

It is also up to the state to provide a fair and reasonable framework of rules within which decentralised decision-making should operate, because our individual decisions impact other people. So things like mask-wearing and sanitising in public areas cannot be left to individual choice.

It is up to the state to deliver the public goods that create an enabling environment. Public hospitals, testing capacity, water and sanitation, and law enforcement, for example. Some public goods are better suited to provision at a local or provincial level.

Sometimes it is appropriate for decision-making to happen centrally. A coordinated national lockdown of limited duration made sense in March, as a precautionary move. It bought South Africa time to learn more about the nature and scale of the risk, to educate people about it, and to put in place cheaper, more targeted interventions such as building healthcare and testing capacity, universal mask-wearing, and other safety protocols.

Unfortunately, the state did not use this time effectively. South Africa has a largely incapable state, as President Ramaphosa has acknowledged. Effective testing and tracing before the virus had spread widely would have enabled us to keep control of it.

Instead of devolving control as soon as possible, our state has sought to retain maximum control at the centre, with disastrous unintended results, many of which will only reveal themselves in the years to come as the consequences of increased poverty and unemployment unfold.

To summarize. It is not enough that a policy is well-intended. Ultimately, it is the net result that matters. Reality is not optional. The real consequences of policy decisions are borne by ordinary people, not by political elites. So ordinary people have stronger incentives to make good decisions and to quickly correct bad decisions. Their aggregated knowledge of the real risks involved is far greater than the total knowledge of those on the NCCC.

Going forward, a covid response that empowers people within a reasonable set of safety rules will achieve a better outcome than will one that is managed centrally by a small group of people who themselves are protected from the real consequences of irrational or arbitrary decisions.

These same considerations hold true for South Africa’s economic recovery. When individuals, families and communities are empowered, infinitely more creativity, incentives and knowledge can be harnessed.

This is why the DA’s rallying call is: power to the people.

South Africa’s inflexible labour legislation seeks to protect the employed, but the unintended consequence of deterring job creation and excluding new entrants far outweigh the benefits. The empirical evidence is our high and growing unemployment skewed to younger ages.

State-owned entities with their large and relatively well paid staff complements were well-intended. Their unintended consequence has been to stifle private creativity and competition. The empirical evidence is seen in compromised products (unreliable, dirty electricity, for example) at high prices.

Policies such as expropriation without compensation, NHI, prescribed assets and nationalisation of the Reserve Bank may be well intended. They seek to “solve” problems. But all will have unintended consequences, such as deterring investment, that will ultimately be net damaging to the poor, the very people they ostensibly seek to benefit.

These and other such statist “solutions” backed South Africa into a corner of rising poverty, unemployment and debt, with no fiscal room to manoeuver as we went into this pandemic.

A leaked strategy document suggests the ANC is doubling down on this approach in the hope of achieving a rapid economic recovery.

Governments can be forgiven for well-meaning “solutions”, if they adapt their approach once the empirical evidence shows them to be net painful to society. But when a government persists with an approach that does net harm, it is time to change the government.

The DA’s approach to South Africa’s economic recovery is founded on the notion that reality is not optional. That results matter. And that the best results will come when power moves closer to the people. We will publish our economic recovery plan on Monday 22 June. It will show us to be SA’s true liberation movement.

Through union actions, our children will not only be denied an education but food as well

The Democratic Alliance (DA) rejects threats by unions to drag the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, and her Department to court in order to stop the reopening of schools. This will not only deprive millions of learners of necessary schooling but will also deny 9 million learners on the national school nutrition programme a nutritious meal per day.

On 29 May, Minister Motshekga announced that school nutrition will be available to all learners when schools open on 1 June 2020 for grades 7 and 12. The re-scheduling of school opening a week later, have put a damper on food provision at schools.

9 million learners in 19950 quintiles 1 to 3 schools, as well as identified special needs schools are provided with daily meals through this programme.

The Minister of Social Development who was tasked with feeding learners during the lockdown has failed dismally to do so. The few food parcels provided by the Department of Social Development has not reached the neediest households and are not providing learners with the necessary nutrients.

Approximately 30% already live in households in which only one person is employed and with the advent of Covid-19 dietary diversity may be reduced, leading to malnutrition which can increase the risk of micro-nutrient deficiencies. Younger children can experience nutritional shock resulting in increased wasting and stunting that can have long – term effects on health and educational outcomes.

During this period of lockdown, the Western Cape provincial treasury allocated R18 million in additional funding to the Western Cape Education Department towards a feeding scheme for children. On average 100 000 children were fed every week. Progressive initiatives like these should be encouraged which ensure the well-being of every child.

Children are not the vectors of spreading the disease, so what is the trade –off in putting their future in jeopardy? Educator unions should consider the inequality gaps in societies and realise that most children don’t have the luxury of a proper meal especially during lockdown.

The Minister has already gazetted the return date to school and she should follow through with her plan to open schools tomorrow for the livelihoods of the 9 million learners whose nutrition is compromised because of the lockdown.

We cannot allow educator unions to use the Covid-19 pandemic as a guise to take over control of ministerial duties, compromising the education and holistic well-being of our children.

Collins Khosa: Defence Minister’s contradictions fuel questions over independence of internal army probe

Note to Editors: Please find attached Afrikaans and English soundbites by Kobus Marais MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to discipline or replace the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for her and her department’s shambolic handling of the inquiry into the death of Collins Khosa, allegedly at the hands of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula shockingly backtracked on comments she made before Parliament’s joint standing committee on defence namely that the army’s investigation into the death of Collins Khosa was a preliminary report and “has been referred back by the chief of the SANDF and might be reopened for further investigation” despite my indication to her to the contrary.

She has now indicated that her understanding of the situation was incorrect and that SANDF will not be reopening the investigation.

The Minister’s comments to the committee were made after SANDF filed an affidavit with the High Court which included the finalised report and a confirmatory affidavit by the Minister herself. This raises several questions, such as, did the Minister mislead Parliament? Did she not know that she signed the affidavit which was submitted to court? Was she undermined by the military leadership? OR has she lost their trust and support?

The DA will be submitted several parliamentary questions to the Minister in this regard.

It is this confusion and contradictions which fuel speculations that the entire internal military investigation into Mr Khosa’s untimely death was a sham and devoid of transparent and due process. The DA maintains that the investigation was solely an exercise to exonerate the soldiers who were implicated in the death of Mr Khosa. This was never about justice for the Khosa family.

We trust that the Military Ombud investigation requested by the DA (case number MO/DIA/12/1/0039/20-21) will be conducted in an independent and transparent manner.

Those soldiers involved in the tragic death of Collins Khosa cannot be given a free pass for taking his life. They must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

DA site back up after donations avalanche

Click here to contribute to the DA’s legal action challenging irrational and dangerous elements of the hard lockdown in court.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is heartened by the many South Africans who are contributing whatever they can towards our legal challenges against irrational and unconstitutional aspects of the current hard lockdown.

DA leader John Steenhuisen announced on Thursday 14 May that the party would be seeking legal remedy through the courts on irrational measures such as the e-commerce ban (which was dropped within hours of the DA’s court challenge), the 3-hour exercise window and the military-enforced curfew.

Furthermore, we are also challenging the constitutionality of aspects of the Disaster Management Act that concentrate massive law-making powers in the hands of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister of Co-operative Governance, without any oversight from Parliament, and enable her to delegate such powers to other Ministers, who are equally unaccountable. They can extend this power indefinitely.

Already in the past seven weeks, they have issued over 40 sets of regulations, comprising hundreds of pages of new legislation, governing almost every aspect of our lives, from when we may leave our homes and for what purpose, who we may visit, when and where we may exercise, what we may buy and what we may wear – to name a few.

This violation of fundamental rights requires increased and rigorous oversight, not less.

Turning an unaccountable group of Ministers into a law-making machine is also a violation of the separation of powers.

It was for these reasons that we asked South Africans to assist in funding our cases, even with small amounts, and the response was so overwhelming that it overloaded our online donations system. We have since increased capacity on our site to accommodate increased web traffic to our online donations portal for anyone who wishes to donate.

The DA is heartened by this positive response, which will go some way to funding our legal challenges as we continue to fight for a smart lockdown model that limits the spread of Covid while simultaneously protecting livelihoods, preventing hunger and getting South Africans back to work safely.

Crucial questions need answering around lockdown

The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes that there is growing and broad agreement on a gradual return to economic activity, and ahead of President Ramaphosa’s address to the nation this evening, the DA respectfully puts forward the following questions, requests, and suggestions which should be addressed in his speech. I have a virtual meeting scheduled with the President for 16:30 today, and I will put these questions to him directly. Furthermore, we have today sent the President updates to our Covid-19 response working paper, as our contribution to the national decision-making process.

1. We request clarity on the alleged statement by Prof Shabir Mahdi (of Wits University, who heads the public health subcommittee advising the President and his cabinet) revising down the expected number of SA Covid deaths to 45 000 over the next 2-3 years, from an earlier estimate of between 120 000 and 150 000 fatalities. This was reported in a TimesLive article on 21 April. We need to understand if this estimate of 45 000 deaths over 2-3 years factors in a series of lockdowns, or is the estimate before interventions. If the latter, then this revision profoundly impacts SA’s optimal response to this pandemic. A death rate of 45 000 over 2-3 years is broadly in line with SA’s current murder rate and Easter road death rate, neither of which have elicited hard lockdowns in response. Therefore, we request clarity around these alleged comments.

2. We request clarity around Prof Salim Karim’s comments reported by Rapport on Sunday, in an interview with Hanlie Retief, in which he said: “I think we’ve already reaped the benefits of the lockdown. I’m not sure how much more the lockdown can help us.” If this is the view of the government’s leading expert on the coronavirus epidemic, it is important that South Africans know how this view is guiding government’s decisions on the future implementation of a lockdown strategy.

3. We request the immediate implementation of a policy of mandatory cloth masks for all, in all public places. At least 3 free cloth masks should be provided free of charge to all those who are unable to afford masks. Assuming 40 million people require free masks, this would be 120 million masks in all, and would cost an estimated R600 million – a mere fraction of the cost to SA of a single day of hard lockdown. This is particularly important for high-density situations like on public transport and in shops, but should be mandatory in all places where people are not able to keep a 1.5 m distance.

4. We suggest that a suppress-release approach on alcohol availability should be used to relieve pressure on hospitals. This could be generalised or localised depending on circumstances.

5. We suggest that all sectors should have, and publish online, a set of social-distancing protocols in place specific to their context, before re-opening. Furthermore, all businesses should be required to complete a workplace risk assessment and mitigation form. This form must be available on the business premises and website. This will inform the public, policy makers, suppliers and customers of the risks inherent to that business and the mitigation measures which the business has put in place to deal with those risks.

6. As the economy opens up public transport will be a central nexus of human interaction. Three criteria are crucial:

  • Everyone on public transport to be masked.
  • Everyone on public transport to sanitize their hands on entrance and exit.
  • Public transport vehicles to be sanitized regularly.

7. We call for the immediate lifting of all activities listed in our attached document.

8. We request transparent, reliable and up-to-date reporting of key Covid-19 response data. In particular, we request national, provincial and area-specific data around cases, testing, hospital load/capacity and implementation of economic stimulus measures. We believe this to be an entirely reasonable request, given the massive sacrifice South Africans are making to slow the spread and minimise the impact of this disease. Only with this information can we know how best to respond.

Assuming that the expected fatality rate for Covid remains far above other reasons for mortality in South Africa, then a Smart Lockdown strategy (locking down only when, where and to the extent necessary, coupled with more targeted interventions – particularly a massive, rapid-response testing programme and free mandatory masks for all in public) is preferable to a series of hard lockdowns over the coming years. Indeed the President has already suggested that SA will be taking the smart lockdown route. A smart lockdown is simply not possible without accurate, up-to-date, localised, transparent data.

The following data should be available daily and to all:

Indicator Currently available? Available at:
Cases
Total cases (national) Yes https://sacoronavirus.co.za/
Total deaths (national) Yes https://sacoronavirus.co.za/
Total recoveries (national) Yes https://sacoronavirus.co.za/
Testing
Total tests (national) Yes https://sacoronavirus.co.za/
Average time between testing and reporting (national) No
Community health worker (CHW) infection rate (national) No
Results of continuous random testing for prevalence and symptoms classified by:
– Age
– Area- HIV status
No
Total testing capacity per day (district/area) No
Total tests performed per day (area/district) by

-Type of test (antigen vs antibody)

-Randomised vs targeted

-CHW or general public

No
Case numbers by area/district

-Daily new cases

-Total cases

-Active cases

-Total recoveries

-Daily deaths

-Total deaths

No
Hospital load/capacity
Total hospital capacity (national)

-Number of beds

-Number of ICU beds

-Number of ventilators

No
Number of patients hospitalised (national)

-All

-Covid-related

No
Number of patients requiring ICU/ventilator (national)

-All

-Covid-related

No
Number of Covid patients by area/district

-Total

-Daily new cases

-Number requiring ICU/ventilator

No
Total hospital capacity and occupancy by area/district

-ICU beds

– Ventilators

-ICU beds used by COVID patients

No
PPE
Total supply of PPE

-PPE per health worker (area/district)

-Cloth masks per person (area/district)

No
Economic support
SMME support (DSBD Debt Relief Fund)

-List of business applying

-List of businesses receiving

-Rand amount loaned per business

-Total Rand amount loaned

No
Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS)

-Number employees receiving relief

-Rand amount of total relief given

-List of businesses that have received relief for employees including Rand amount

No
UIF payments

-Monthly rand amount paid out to the unemployed

-Number of unemployed receiving relief

No
Covid grant payments

-Rand amount paid per month

-Number of recipients paid per month

No
Basic Income Grant payments to the unemployed not on UIF or grants (R350 per month)

-Rand amount paid per month

-Number of recipients paid per month

No
IDC/DTI funding

-Number of firms applying for funding

-Number of firms receiving funding

No
Solidarity fund

-Rand value of assets

-Rand value and details of expenditure

No

DA to obtain legal opinion after Patel’s overreach on amended lockdown regulations on cooked food

Yesterday, I wrote to Trade, Industry and Competition Minister, Ebrahim Patel asking him to furnish me the legal advice he relied on to pronounce that cooked food is not allowed ‘as the law stands’.

In the amended lockdown regulations, there is nothing that prohibits the production or sale of cooked food and thus the Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that the Minister has overstepped his powers by simply pronouncing that retailers may not sell cooked or prepared food.

This absurd determination by Minister Patel is illogical and ill-considered. It follows a pattern of late by certain Ministers which seek to de-legitimise the lockdown by advancing regulations that make no sense and are not found in law.

The latest pronouncement by Government will have detrimental consequences for frontline health care workers, members of the security services, essential service workers and transport workers like truck drivers who rely on cooked food due to the work they are doing.

This will also be particularly devastating for the elderly who may be unable to cook food due to their frailty.

Therefore, the DA has given Minister Patel until 17:00 today to explain in writing what his rationale was to summarily pronounce on the regulations to ban the sale of cooked or prepared food.

At the same time, we are also consulting with our legal team to obtain a legal opinion on the legality of Minister Patel’s actions.

We can not allow Ministers to arbitrarily undermine the lockdown by acting outside of the mandate which is what we are now currently seeing.

Here’s what Government should have announced in Amended Lockdown Regulations

Lockdown regulations

The release of the Amended Lockdown Regulations on Thursday was a missed opportunity by Government to ease some of the draconian regulations which have been in place since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown and level with South Africans on the future of the economy.

Government should have used the opportunity to announce the end to some of the illogical limitations on what can be sold in stores that are currently open and to announce the phasing in of critical sectors to get the economy going again.

While the DA supports the lockdown and the need for regulations which will save lives, we must acknowledge that a number of regulations will not necessarily assist in combatting the pandemic; will not make life easier for citizens; nor will it improve our dire economic prospects.

Government had an opportunity to revitalize the economy by re-introducing additional essential workers as many South Africans have not received a salary since the start of the lockdown. This places the country at risk of mass levels of hunger and social discontent.

It was therefore important that Government took the initiative to relax some regulations and make the following announcements, as per the DA’s Smart Lockdown model:

  1. In addition to our call that all goods in stores that are currently permitted to operate should be sold, the DA also proposes that:
    • Cigarette sales should be allowed. The continued ban on cigarettes is illogical, unjustifiable and creating an illicit market worth Billions of rands, as well as a criminal network surrounding it. Cigarette sales will also reignite much-needed revenue into the ficus through taxes on sales.
    • Off consumption retail outlets should be allowed to sell alcohol during the hard lockdown in accordance with a ‘squeeze and release’ model, which is guided by data modeling on testing and transmission rates. In the hard lockdown, this would restrict hours of sale from 10am – 3pm weekdays with a limit on stock to be bought. Further progression of sales is guided by the Smart Lockdown model.
    • Re-open certain outlets such as hardware stores for personal us; stationery, book and electronic stores; and cell phone stores.
    • It is also important that all retail outlets like food stores, pharmacies and hardware stores enable 1 hour of the day specifically for persons aged 60 and above as they are most at risk of infection.
  1. The re-opening of mines are a welcome development, not only for economic activity but also because they provide critical community services (e.g. water, electricity or sanitation) to local communities. The DA does, however, believe that it is critical that strict hygiene and physical distancing protocols are adhered to during mine operations.  We propose the following:
    • Underground communication must be rolled out with the use of “motorbike” style radios in order to reduce close interaction.
    • While respirators would be extremely useful, it is unlikely that these would be available in the quantities required. At the very least, masks must be provided to all workers, and mine management must ensure compliance in wearing them.
    • Where a mine has a confirmed case of Covid-19 where workers may have been exposed, that mine must immediately close its operations for a quarantine period of 14 days.
  1. While we welcome the fact that a number of outlets have been permitted to deliver essential groceries during this lockdown, restaurants and fast-food outlets have been completely overlooked. This is a critical sector jobs sector and the DA proposes that:
    • Any restaurant or fast food outlet should be allowed to open their kitchens through a home delivery service.
    • We have written to the Minister of Tourism, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, to request that she makes urgent representations to her colleagues on the Executive to amend the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) lockdown regulations in order to include food and grocery delivery services.
  1. Since the lockdown began, according to the Manufacturing Circle, 64% of manufacturers have closed their production and 36% have reduced productive capacity by up to 75%. The net result on job losses will be extreme, with 87% of its membership stating that they would have to assess retrenchment in relation to the impact of the current lockdown. We need to breathe life into the local manufacturing sector and we therefore propose the following interventions:
    • Manufacturing sectors should be opened and limited to the production of PPE, ventilators, medical equipment, maintenance equipment, textiles used for hospital purposes, agri-processing for time-bound products and food security.
    • We need to urgent resume exports of our manufactured goods, both primary and secondary to generate foreign earnings.
    • Transport to and from ports is necessary.
  1. Agriculture is the very lifeblood of our existence. If we fail to protect food security and keep open the agricultural chain of production, we face a national security crisis. The DA is of the view that:
    • The agriculture sector must be allowed to continue as unhindered as possible during the lockdown.
    • Transport of all agricultural goods must be essential, including the transportation of wine.
    • Strict health protocols should be implemented to protect farm workers and those that are in the agriculture value chain.

We urge President Ramaphosa and his Cabinet to assess these proposals as South Africa urgently needs regulations that not only keep the nation safe and healthy but will also assist essential workers, re-introduce critical workers to the economy, increase access to wages and reduce the risk of mass hunger.

Reconsider some lockdown bans, or risk a backlash of non-compliance

The DA welcomes certain aspects of government’s Amended Lockdown Regulations, as announced and published today, but urges government to reconsider certain regulations that do not explicitly help citizens combat the virus. Whilst we support the lockdown, we need regulations that make life easier for citizens, and especially essential workers, to access goods and services and to reduce the risk of mass hunger. The lockdown will only work if it promotes collaboration amongst citizens. Certain regulations do not.

The decision to start opening up some sectors of our economy to allow workers back to work, under strictly controlled conditions, is the right one and in line with our suggestion of a move towards a Smart Lockdown. We welcome the announcement that oil refineries, mines and artisanal trades, among others, have been given the green light to start working again. If conducted according to responsible hygiene and physical distancing standards, where possible, this will give our ailing economy a crucial boost.

But the publication of these amended regulations was also an opportunity for government to rethink some of the overly draconian measures that have been in place these past three weeks, and replace them with some common sense rules. It was an opportunity they missed, and the danger is now that we risk squandering the initial goodwill and support for lockdown compliance.

Some of the regulations around essential goods and services, as well as the blanket ban on cigarettes and alcohol, seem to have less to do with combating the spread of the virus than with stamping down the authority of the state. The same can be said for the ban on neighbourhood watches. The longer these prohibitions remain part of the lockdown regulations, the bigger the chance of a widespread public backlash. Every regulation must be measured against its efficacy in actually defeating Covid19.

Already we are seeing an increased public resistance to some aspects of the lockdown, and incidents of looting have become more widespread over the past week. This will only increase as frustration mounts, and as the economic reality – and hunger – sets in for millions who already live in poverty. South Africans are also increasingly turning to illicit sources of alcohol and cigarettes, and this is costing the state millions in lost tax revenue – money we can ill afford to lose now.

What started out three weeks ago as a movement with massive public buy-in now looks increasingly fragile and fraught with danger of social unrest. If President Ramaphosa and his Cabinet don’t act soon in relaxing some of these prohibitions, he is going to lose the rational centre that has kept this lockdown intact and functioning until now. Once a backlash of non-compliance gains momentum, it will be near impossible to reverse.

We need to keep ordinary South Africans on board if this lockdown is to achieve its goals. And for this to happen, government must treat the public as adults and as partners in this mission. This means reining in the elements of the SANDF and SAPS that are out of control in the streets, and it means relooking the regulations on the prohibition of the sale of certain goods where such prohibition ends up doing more harm than good.

The DA’s proposal for a Smart Lockdown suggests a flexible, sustainable model whereby we can shift up and down between lockdown levels when and where necessary, including by using localised lockdowns. This will maximise our ability to work while still controlling the virus. But it is entirely dependent on a massive testing/tracing/tracking programme so that we are able to keep a close handle on when and where the virus is starting to flare up. Tests must have a 12 to 24 hour turnaround time. No expense or effort must be spared to get this right.

But for any kind of lockdown plan to succeed, it is crucial that we first secure the buy-in and compliance of the public. And this is only possible when they are treated as responsible adults, and respected as citizens.

DA calls for unbanning of all ‘non-essential’ goods in retail stores that are currently trading

Please click here for a soundbite by Dean Macpherson MP, the DA Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls for an end to arbitrary limitations on what can be sold in stores that are open during the lockdown. The confusion around what are considered “essential items” in grocery stores, pharmacies and the like, is unhelpful and should be ended.

I will write to Minister Ebrahim Patel and request him to recommend for gazetting that all stores that are open during the lockdown to be able to sell anything that is normally in their stores.

It is illogical and makes no sense for instance that a store at a petrol station is not allowed to sell pies or that a grocery store is not allowed to sell prepared, warm food. We have seen even more ridiculous examples of this in this week of lockdown such as retail stores closing their magazines and snacks shelves and mothers of new born babies not being able to buy clothes for their babies.

Across South Africa, law enforcement officials are often being allowed sole discretion to interpret these regulations as they see fit which is having huge consequences for many people, from urban to rural settings.

Any item, from hygiene products to electronics, found in a retailer that is allowed to be open should be available for sale to consumers. Once existing stock is sold out, then these items won’t be replenished until after the lockdown.

The bottom line is, that any good found in a store, that is already open under current regulations, should be allowed for sale.

This does not include the sale of liquor which is prohibited during this time in terms of Section 27,(2)i of the Disaster Management Act of 2002. The DA supports this regulations as we believe alcohol sales could encourage people to make irresponsible decisions or to congregate in social groups, both if which we want to avoid during the lockdown.

We do not believe the same rationale can be applied to cigarettes and the DA therefore includes cigarettes in our call for all goods currently in stores, open to the public, to be for sale.

It appears on the face of it that there is no obstacle in law to allowing citizens the free choice to buy whatever they may find in store.

These arbitrary restrictions are also incredibly damaging for big retailers to spaza shops who are being forced to sit on stock they can not sell in an already challenging economic time.

Nine days into South Africa’s lockdown, it is time that we start thinking clearly and rationally about the plethora of regulations that our people are subject to and that we start simplifying them in the best interest of South Africans and our economy.