Nonprofit organisation Business for South Africa (B4SA) has welcomed the reopening of more sectors of the economy; and joined President Cyril Ramaphosa in condemning violence against women and children, following his speech on June 17.
Responding to the President’s speech, Martin Kingston of B4SA said the organisation welcomed Ramaphosa’s announcement on June 17 of the expanded Level 3 regulations which will further lift restrictions on many economic activities.
“We further wholeheartedly endorse the President’s condemnation of violence against women and children and support his call for an end to femicide. We call on business and all of civil society to join the national campaign to support the victims and combat this scourge of our society,” he said.
Kingston said business had supported the lockdown because it dramatically reduced the speed at which the virus spread, allowing the country time to increase capacity in its healthcare systems so it could better deal with the coming surge of infections.
“We acknowledge the negative impact on lives and livelihoods from these restrictions.
“The move to these enhanced Level 3 regulations will allow more businesses to open, more people to work, and more services to be delivered to the public. Increased economic activity will heighten the risk of transmission and we repeat our call for each person in every workplace or social gathering to adhere to the health and hygiene protocols.
“As business we continue to call for evidence-based interventions that balance health, economic recovery and societal impact. We look forward to examining the detail of the enhanced Level 3 regulations,” he said.