President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement of the easing of even more lockdown restrictions was accompanied by condemnation for the urge in gender-based violence in recent weeks. Read the full speech here LockdownSA Level3 DontLookAway
It is now just over 100 days since the first case of coronavirus was identified in South Africa. For 100 days we have been living in the shadow of one of the greatest threats to global health in over 100 years.
We believe that this will improve our management of the disease among those who are most severely affected.Of these, 44,331 people – or around 55% – have recovered. One of the ways of measuring the rate of transmission is what is called ‘doubling time’. This is the number of days it takes for the total number of cases to double.
The task of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is like running a marathon race and not a sprint, and we have therefore had to shape our response according to that reality.Nearly a third of all confirmed cases have been recorded in the last week alone and more than half of all confirmed cases have been recorded over the last two weeks.
You are worried about the possibility of getting infected yourself, in a taxi or on a bus, at work or at the shops, at school or university, visiting a clinic or hospital.Because as the country gradually opens up, as we resume more activities, the risk of infection inevitably increases.Through our behaviour as individuals we can reduce the likelihood that we will get infected or infect others.
Let us all remember not to touch our faces with unwashed hands, and clean and sanitise surfaces regularly. At the same time, we have massively increased screening for coronavirus symptoms throughout the country, at every workplace, school, university, shopping centre, place of worship, taxi rank or other public space where people gather.
Among the initiatives that we have pursued together with other countries on our continent is the ground-breaking Africa Medical Supplies Portal. This means that there are businesses that have not earned any revenue and individuals who have not had any income for over 80 days. In each instance, specific and stringent safety requirements have been agreed on and will need to be put in place before a business can re-open, and protocols will need to be strictly adhered to for businesses to remain open.
It is important to remember that this is a global pandemic and that most countries are facing similar challenges and must resolve similar dilemmas. However, we can expect infections in Africa to rise as countries ease restrictions in the face of severe economic pressures and we are working together as a continent to meet that challenge.
As a man, as a husband and as a father, I am appalled at what is no less than a war being waged against the women and children of our country. They are not just statistics. They have names and they had families and friends. This evening, our thoughts and prayers are with them. During the lockdown period we have ensured that survivors of gender-based violence have access to support and services, including the GBV hotline, shelters and centres providing support to victims of sexual violence.
Legislative amendments have been prepared around, among other things, minimum sentencing in cases of gender-based violence, bail conditions for suspects, and greater protection for women who are victims of intimate partner violence.Our courts have been firm in dealing with cases of gender-based violence even during the lockdown period, handing down life sentences and multiple life sentences to perpetrators.
According to the police, violent crime – especially murders and attempted murders – has increased since alert level 3 took effect on 1 June.
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