Staff Reporter
The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Free State has disagreed with Premier Sisi Ntombela who earlier today suggested that the provincial economy, particularly Mangaung Metro, should not be re-opened in a rush as the COVID-19 pandemic is yet to reach its peak and may cost many lives.
In a statement, DA leader in the provincial legislature Roy Jankielsohn said his had party noted with concern that the premier had suggested that other districts in the province could be moved to alert Level 3, which allows for more economic activity, except for Mangaung as it is the provincial epicentre of the disease.
“Mangaung remains the largest contributor to the provincial economy and this decision will result in further economic decline and more job losses,” Jankielsohn said.
He said the DA has already written to the premier requesting the downgrading of the whole Free State to Level 3 or even Level 2.
“The DA has indicated that lives must be balanced with livelihoods,” Jankielsohn said.
“(The) lockdown in the Free State was meant to give our department of health enough time to prepare for the worst-case scenarios regarding the coronavirus, it was never meant to be a permanent livelihood-destroying feature in the province . . .
“While Bloemfontein has the highest incidences of the coronavirus in the Free State, the further spread of the virus must be managed without manhandling the local economy.”
The provincial party leader in the local assembly said Mangaung cannot be kept at Level 4 while provinces like Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, which have higher statistics, are expected to move to Level 3 at the end of May.
“Before lockdown, the Free State had the second-highest unemployment in the country at 35 percent which increases to 42.3 percent under the expanded definition,” he argued.
“Out of almost 2.9 million people in the province, 1.1 million were already recipients of social grants before the lockdown social relief was announced.
“In 2018 the number of taxpayers in the Free State who contributed towards our national tax base was 249 868 which subsequently dropped to 218 943 in 2020. This implies that every taxpayer in the Free State was already supporting five grant recipients and all service delivery.”
Jankielsohn said a further lockdown in Mangaung or the rest of the Free State will have disastrous economic implications and destroy thousands more livelihoods in the province with devastating social and further health implications.
He said since so many people are already suffering in the province, the DA believes that it will be inevitable that the salaries of politicians and civil servants in the provincial government and Free State municipalities will have to be cut commensurate with the private sector, during the entire lockdown period.
“Some people in the Free State have already lost their jobs, livelihoods and taken salary cuts while continuing to pay various taxes that are used to pay these salaries,” Jankielsohn said.
The DA is already challenging various aspects of the Disaster Management Act and its regulations in the courts at national level.
Ntombela had said during a media briefing on Tuesday morning that there should be no rush to move the entire province to alert Level 3 as this might jeopardise some of the gains made so far in the fight against COVID-19 and compromise people’s lives.
She said the incoming cold weather was likely to worsen the situation as the coronavirus is said to thrive under cold conditions — meaning more people could contract the disease in the coming months, particularly in Mangaung.
Ntombela said she would recommend that Mangaung, as the provincial epicentre of the disease, remains on Level 4 if other districts are found fit to ease restrictions and open up their economies under Level 3.