STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA ON FIRE AT PARLIAMENT PRECINCT
This is a disastrous event that should sadden all of us.
This is devastating, coming as it does a day after our send-off for Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Waking up to the destruction of Parliament is a terrible setback from what we were basking in yesterday.
The Archbishop would have been devastated as well, as this is a place he prayed for, supported and wanted to see as a repository of our democracy.
Notwithstanding the damage that has been done to this precinct, the work of Parliament will carry on.
My thoughts are with the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, the Acting Secretary to Parliament, the management and staff of Parliament; as well as Members of the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, and their support staff.
I am being briefed by the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, the Minister of Police and the Deputy Minister in the Presidency with responsibility for State Security.
We appreciate the speedy response of the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town in mobilising the response to this emergency.
The real praise and applause belongs to the fire officials and crews of the City of Cape Town who have done a great job.
While they have worked to stop Parliament from being razed to ashes, it is very clear that this fire has devastated the parliamentary precinct and its contents and assets, including Parliament’s historical treasures of heritage.
Parliament and the security agencies of government are looking into the cause of this incident and we must allow these investigation to continue.
While these investigations continue, I believe we are united as a nation in our sadness at this destruction of the home of our democracy.
I have recently requested the Speaker to convene a Joint Sitting of Parliament for the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, 10 February 2022.
In the wake of this devastating occurrence we will continue to consult on what we can do to ensure continuity in the functioning of Parliament as the critical institution in our democratic infrastructure.
ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Pretoria
EULOGY BY PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA AT THE FUNERAL SERVICE OF ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU
Members of the Tutu family,
His Majesty King Letsie III and Her Majesty Queen ‘Masenate,
Her Royal Highness Princess Mabel van Oranje,
Former President Thabo Mbeki,
Former President Kgalema Motlanthe,
Former Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,
Former President of Ireland, Ms Mary Robinson,
Ministers,
Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo,
Head of the South African National Defence Force, General Rudzani Maphwanya,
Premier of the Western Cape, Mr Alan Winde,
Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Mr Geordin Hill-Lewis,
Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd. Dr Thabo Makgoba,
The Dean of Cape Town, the Very Reverend Michael Weeder,
Leadership of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa,
Leaders of all faith denominations present,
Representatives of political parties,
Veterans of the liberation movements,
Fellow Mourners,
It is only the few among us, the rarest of souls, who attain the stature of global icon during their lifetime.
In our modern age, this term has come to be associated with celebrity and social media fame.
Yet if we are to understand a global icon to be someone of great moral stature, of exceptional qualities and of service to humanity, there can be no doubt that it refers to the man we are laying to rest today.
Our departed father was a crusader in the struggle for freedom, for justice, for equality and for peace, not just in South Africa, the country of his birth, but around the world as well.
Such was the overarching impact and influence of Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu that tributes have been received from current and past presidents, religious leaders, monarchs, lawmakers, political parties, musicians and artists, and ordinary people from all corners of the globe.
Climate activists, LGBTQI+ groups, solidarity movements and community organisations are just some of those who have paid homage to a man who gave his life to the cause of freedom. A humble and brave human being who spoke up for the oppressed, the downtrodden and the suffering.
In doing so, he walked in the footsteps of his mentor, Father Trevor Huddleston, and of the many heroic champions of freedom in our country and on our continent.
How fitting is it that his parents named him Mpilo, meaning life.
In his life, he enriched the lives of all he met and all those who got to know him.
Over the past week, we have heard many moving accounts and seen many images of Archbishop Tutu’s life.
These accounts and images are a chronicle of a life of activism, statesmanship, ministry and pastoralism.
There is one image taken in 1989 at a protest march in Cape Town.
In the black and white photograph, we see Archbishop Tutu alongside the Late Professor Jakes Gerwel, glaring defiantly at a cordon of police armed to the teeth, just inches away. Their mission was to stop the march from proceeding.
It is a striking photograph that captures the steely determination of the Arch to challenge the authority of an unjust, illegitimate and repressive regime.
It was a vivid depiction of the confrontation between ‘right’ – represented by those who were marching for democracy – and ‘might’ – represented by the men in the uniforms of the apartheid police.
That photograph brings to mind the words he spoke following his arrest in 1988 during a clergy-led protest against the crackdown on anti-apartheid groups.
Bible in hand he told a news conference he would continue with his defiance.
“We are not defying the law,” he declared, “we are obeying God.”
There is the famous image taken in 1996 during the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of our Archbishop, his head bent over folded arms, his shoulders weighed down by the deep tragedy and the unspeakable cruelty of the crime of apartheid.
The TRC had just heard heart-rending testimony from a veteran activist Singqokwana Malgas on how he was tortured by the security police, so brutally that he was now confined to a wheelchair.
Overcome with emotion at what he had heard, Archbishop Tutu dropped his head in his hands and wept.
Together, these photographs speak not only to the strength of his convictions, but to how deeply he felt the anguish and the suffering inflicted on others by injustice and intolerance.
There are the many images we have of him speaking to crowds, his arms stretched out as though embracing them, or looking serenely up to the heavens.
He was a man with a faith as deep as it was abiding.
For him, opposing injustice, standing up for the oppressed, defying unjust laws, was God’s work.
Destiny had anointed him a champion of the immortal cause of justice.
He took to heart and lived the words of the Book of Proverbs chapter 31, verses 8 to 9:
“Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.
“Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
He was not content to decry apartheid at conferences or benefit concerts or international fora.
He was there, with the freedom fighters, confronting the regime and comforting its victims.
He was not content to preach about social justice from the pulpit.
He was with the homeless, the helpless, the persecuted, the sick and the destitute in the streets, in shelters and in homes.
He embraced all who had ever felt the cold wind of exclusion and they in turn embraced him.
He sought to emulate Jesus Christ, who embraced all those who society looked down upon and rejected.
Throughout his life he became involved in causes both at home and abroad that went to the very heart of the quest for social justice.
Through the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, he was involved in the treatment and care of people living with HIV and Aids, in the provision of healthcare services to adolescents, and the empowerment of young women.
He was an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian cause and in 2014 wrote a powerful article calling on Israelis and Palestinians to find each other and to make peace.
In his words, “peace requires the people of Israel and Palestine to recognise the human being in themselves and each other, and to understand their interdependence.”
He advocated for LGBTQI+ rights and decried all forms of violence and discrimination against the community.
Speaking of hate crimes perpetrated against the LGBTQI+ community in a powerful video message marking 20 years since the World Conference on Human Rights he said: “I oppose such injustice with the same passion that I opposed apartheid.”
One of the causes that was dear to him and less well known, was campaigning together with her Royal Highness Mabel van Oranje, who is here with us today, against child marriage across the globe.
I have learned how he travelled to villages in Ethiopia, India and Zambia to understand the circumstances under which young girls were being forced into marriage.
He also took up this cause with The Elders, the group of senior leaders brought together by President Mandela in 2007.
Such was his stamina, such was his commitment to social justice for all, that he took up the cudgels on behalf of millions of people around the world.
Many would know his name, but many more would not. But he made a difference.
He never stopped fighting. He never stopped speaking out. He never stopped caring.
Since the passing of our beloved Archbishop, we have been looking back on his life, on the part he played in our transition to democracy and his towering role as Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Today, 27 years after the advent of our democracy, we can still say with certainty that what we have achieved as a country was nothing short of a miracle.
We could have chosen the path of retribution, but the project of national reconciliation, of recognising the injustices of our past, set us apart from many societies in transition.
Alongside President Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Tutu helped steer our nation through this painful period.
The heartrending testimonies of many who had suffered and lost loved ones were broadcast live for all to see.
The accounts opened deep apartheid wounds. But they also opened a window not only for the formerly oppressed to know what had happened to their loved ones, but also for the white minority to know what crimes had been perpetrated in their name.
Helping us to come to terms with the past was among the most arduous tasks of our new nation, and Archbishop Tutu played a seminal role.
At Madiba’s request, he led the Truth and Reconciliation process, and he did so with integrity, dignity and humility.
While our beloved Madiba was the father of our democracy, Archbishop Tutu was the spiritual father of our new nation.
In considering how fortunate we are as a country to have been blessed with these two global icons, we think about Vilakazi Street in Soweto, the only street in the world that was home to two Nobel Peace Laureates.
We think how both of them played different, but complementary, roles in forging the nation that we are today.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been our moral compass and national conscience.
Even after the advent of democracy, he did not hesitate to draw attention, often harshly, to our shortcomings as leaders of the democratic State.
He saw our country as a ‘rainbow nation’, emerging from the shadow of apartheid, united in its diversity, with freedom and equal rights for all.
The Arch bequeathed us many things – the importance of having the courage of one’s convictions, solidarity with the oppressed, delivering on the promises made by the Constitution, and many others.
But it was with this term, rainbow nation, that he bequeathed our new nation the greatest gift of all: hope and forgiveness.
Hope and forgiveness for a better tomorrow, hope for a country free of tyranny and hope for a society where all the people of South Africa irrespective of their religious affiliation, gender, race and origin could live side by side in harmony.
When he first spoke about us as a rainbow nation, South Africa was a different place and we were going through a difficult time.
We are still finding our feet on our long road to nationhood.
He has left us at another difficult time in the life of our nation.
Problems and challenges are everywhere.
Poverty and inequality, racism, homophobia, gender-based violence, crime and corruption have left many people disenchanted.
There were times when he felt let down.
And yet he never lost hope.
The most fitting tribute we can pay to him, whoever and wherever we are, is to take up the cause of social justice for which he tirelessly campaigned.
Archbishop Tutu has left a formidable legacy and we are enormously diminished by his passing.
His life straddled an epoch in our country’s history that has now come to an end.
Though we say goodbye to him today with the heaviest of hearts, we salute our beloved Archbishop for all he did to help build this nation.
We thank him for giving us hope, for reminding us of our responsibility as leaders, and for giving us reason to believe we are and can be a true Rainbow Nation.
We celebrate him for what he was: Life. Mpilo.
To Mam’ Leah and the family, our nation shares in your sorrow.
On behalf of the government and the people of South Africa we thank you for sharing your husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather with us.
We know it was not easy, and yet you did so willingly.
He belonged to us all and it is all of us who mourn him and celebrate his life today.
I recently came across these words which provide a fitting end to any tribute to Desmond Tutu:
“Tears are sometimes an inappropriate response to death.
“When a life has been lived completely honestly, completely successfully, or just completely, the correct response to death’s perfect punctuation mark, is a smile.”
His was a life lived honestly and completely. He has left the world a better place. We remember him with a smile.
Farewell father, servant of God.
Rest in peace.
I thank you.
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
As the country heads into a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, we are experiencing a rate of infections that we have not seen since the pandemic started. The Omicron variant that was brought to global attention by South African scientists nearly two weeks ago appears to be dominating new infections in most provinces.
Over the last week, the number of daily infections has increased five-fold. Nearly a quarter of all COVID-19 tests now come back positive. Compare this to two weeks ago, when the proportion of positive tests was sitting at around 2%.
Scientists in our country and around the world are still hard at work to answer critical questions about the new Omicron variant, such as its transmissibility, its progression, whether it causes more severe disease and how effective vaccines will be against it.
While the surge in infections is of great concern, we should remember that we anticipated it. Disease modellers in our country have told us that we would likely experience a fourth wave around this time and that it was almost inevitable that new variants of the virus would emerge.
As we enter the fourth wave, and as the country gears up for the festive season, the urgent priority is for more people to get vaccinated. Scientific evidence shows that vaccination is the most effective means of preventing the spread of new infections, and that vaccines reduce severe illness, hospitalisation and death.
South Africa now has sufficient supplies of vaccines and we have vaccine stations set up in every part of the country. As every day passes, and as infections rise, the reasons to get vaccinated become more compelling and the need becomes ever more urgent.
Vaccines are safe, and like all other routine vaccinations we received as children and against diseases like measles, they offer the most potent form of protection available.
Vaccination is essential for our economic recovery, because as more people are vaccinated more areas of economic activity will be opened up. We can do our work and socialise under less stringent restrictions, and our lives can return to some degree of normality.
As individuals, we must carefully consider the implications of the risk to ourselves of being unvaccinated and the risk of spreading the infection to our children, parents, relatives, co-workers and those we do not even know.
The massive surge in infections means that, in addition to vaccination, we need to be far more diligent in reducing our contact with people outside our household. Social distancing is difficult as the festive season approaches, but the evidence shows that gatherings – mainly those held indoors – carry the greatest risk of transmission. Many people have been disappointed by the cancellation of some big events in recent days, but it is by far the safest and most responsible thing to do now.
Fortunately, we all know what we need to do, such as wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding crowds. Now we just need to make sure that we do these things more consistently and without exception.
As we work with greater urgency to increase vaccination rates, we need to significantly up our game on prevention measures to ensure our collective safety.
We should not wait for new regulations before we reduce the size of the gatherings, as research has shown this to be an effective means of reducing the spread of the virus.
All public and private facilities, including workplaces, taxis, buses and trains, must ensure adequate ventilation to prevent the spread of the virus.
Every facility that serves the public has a legal responsibility to ensure that people practice social distancing. We must reinvigorate our masking programme, where we insist on no entry into any public or business facility without a mask.
While we do not yet know what impact the Omicron variant will have on hospital admissions, we have been preparing hospitals to admit more patients, and we are investigating how we can quickly secure medication for treating COVID-19.
In the coming days and weeks we will know more about the Omicron variant. At the same time, we are keeping a close eye on the rates of infection and hospitalisation.
We will soon be convening a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to review the state of the pandemic. This will enable us to take whatever further measures are needed to keep people safe and healthy.
I call on all South Africans to go out and get vaccinated without delay. If necessary, take advantage of the Vooma Vaccination Weekends that make it easier to visit the facility closest to you.
Let us all play our part in South Africa’s social and economic recovery. Let us do the responsible and right thing for our own health and for the health of others.
With best regards,
STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS DESMOND MPILO TUTU
26 December 2021 - 8:45am
President Cyril Ramaphosa expresses, on behalf of all South Africans, his profound sadness at the passing today, Sunday 26 December 2021, of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu.
Archbishop Tutu, the last surviving South African laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, passed away in Cape Town at the age of 90.
President Ramaphosa expresses his heartfelt condolences to Mam Leah Tutu, the Tutu family, the board and staff of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the Elders and Nobel Laureate Group, and the friends, comrades and associates nationally and globally of the iconic spiritual leader, anti-apartheid activist and global human rights campaigner.
President Ramaphosa said: “The passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is another chapter of bereavement in our nation’s farewell to a generation of outstanding South Africans who have bequeathed us a liberated South Africa.
“Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.
“A man of extraordinary intellect, integrity and invincibility against the forces of apartheid, he was also tender and vulnerable in his compassion for those who had suffered oppression, injustice and violence under apartheid, and oppressed and downtrodden people around the world.
“As Chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission he articulated the universal outrage at the ravages of apartheid and touchingly and profoundly demonstrated the depth of meaning of ubuntu, reconciliation and forgiveness.
“He placed his extensive academic achievements at the service of our struggle and at the service of the cause for social and economic justice the world over.
“From the pavements of resistance in South Africa to the pulpits of the world’s great cathedrals and places of worship, and the prestigious setting of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, the Arch distinguished himself as a non-sectarian, inclusive champion of universal human rights.
“In his richly inspiring yet challenging life, Desmond Tutu overcame tuberculosis, the brutality of the apartheid security forces and the intransigence of successive apartheid regimes. Neither Casspirs, teargas nor security agents could intimidate him or deter him from his steadfast belief in our liberation.
“He remained true to his convictions during our democratic dispensation and maintained his vigour and vigilance as he held leadership and the burgeoning institutions of our democracy to account in his inimitable, inescapable and always fortifying way.
“We share this moment of deep loss with Mam Leah Tutu, the Archbishop’s soulmate and source of strength and insight, who has made a monumental contribution in her own right to our freedom and to the development of our democracy.
“We pray that Archbishop Tutu’s soul will rest in peace but that his spirit will stand sentry over the future of our nation.”
ISSUED BY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY MONDLI GUNGUBELE
PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA: ADDRESS ON SOUTH AFRICA'S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
28 Nov 2021
Earlier this week, our scientists identified a new variant of the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. The World Health Organization has named it Omicron and has declared it a ‘variant of concern’. The Omicron variant was first described in Botswana and subsequently in South Africa, and scientists have also identified cases in countries such as Hong Kong, Australia, Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Israel. The early identification of this variant is a result of the excellent work done by our scientists in South Africa and is a direct result of the investment that our Science and Innovation and Health Departments have made in our genomic surveillance capabilities.
We are one of the countries in the world that set up a surveillance network throughout the country to help us monitor the behaviour of COVID-19. The early detection of this variant and the work that has already gone in to understanding its properties and possible effects means that we are better equipped to respond to the variant.
We pay tribute to all our scientists who are world-renowned and widely respected and have demonstrated that they have a deep knowledge of epidemiology. There are a number of things that we already know about the variant as a result of the work our scientists have been doing on genome surveillance.
Firstly, we now know that Omicron has far more mutations than any previous variant. Secondly, we know that Omicron is readily detected by the current COVID-19 tests. This means that people who are showing COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive, should still get tested. Thirdly, we know that this variant is different from other circulating variants and that it is not directly related to the Delta or Beta variants. Fourthly, we know that the variant is responsible for most of the infections found in Gauteng over the last two weeks and is now showing up in all other provinces.
There are still a number of things about the variant that we do not know, and that scientists in South Africa and elsewhere in the world are still hard at work to establish. Over the next few days and weeks, as more data becomes available, we will have a better understanding of:
The identification of Omicron coincides with a sudden rise in COVID-19 infections. This increase has been centred in Gauteng, although cases are also rising in other provinces. We have seen an average of 1,600 new cases in the last 7 days, compared to just 500 new daily cases in the previous week, and 275 new daily cases the week before that.
Scientists have also told us to expect the emergence of new variants. There are several concerns about the Omicron variant, and we are still not sure exactly how it will behave going forward. However, we already have the tools that we need to protect ourselves against it. We know enough about the variant to know what we need to do to reduce transmission and to protect ourselves against severe disease and death.
The first, the most powerful, tool we have is vaccination. Since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available late last year, we have seen how vaccines have dramatically reduced severe illness, hospitalisation and death in South Africa and across the world.
Vaccines do work. Vaccines are saving lives.
Since we launched our public vaccination programme in May 2021, over 25 million vaccines doses have been administered in South Africa. This is a remarkable achievement. It is by far the most extensive health intervention undertaken in this country in such a short period of time.
Forty-one percent of the adult population have received at least one vaccine dose, and 35.6 per cent of adult South Africans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Significantly, 57 per cent of people 60 years old and above are fully vaccinated, and 53 per cent of people aged between 50 and 60 are fully vaccinated. While this is welcome progress, it is not enough to enable us to reduce infections, prevent illness and death and restore our economy.
Vaccination against COVID-19 is free. Tonight, I would like to call on every person who has not been vaccinated to go to their nearest vaccination station without delay. If there is someone in your family or among your friends who is not vaccinated, I call on you to encourage them to get vaccinated. Vaccination is by far the most important way to protect yourself and those around you against the Omicron variant, to reduce the impact of the fourth wave and to help restore the social freedoms we all yearn for.
Vaccination is also vital to the return of our economy to full operation, to the resumption of travel and to the recovery of vulnerable sectors like tourism and hospitality. The development of the vaccines we have against COVID-19 has been made possible thanks to the millions of ordinary people who have volunteered to participate in these trials to advance scientific knowledge for the benefit of humanity.
They are the people who have proven that these vaccines are safe and effective.
These people are our heroes.
They join the ranks of the health care workers who have been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic for close on two years, and who continue to care for the sick, who continue to administer vaccines, and who continue to save lives. We need to be thinking about the people who have been courageous when we consider
getting vaccinated.
By getting vaccinated, we are not only protecting ourselves, but we are also reducing the pressure on our health care system and our health care workers and reducing the risks aced by our healthcare workers. South Africa, like a number of other countries, is looking at booster vaccines for people who are at greatest risk and for whom a booster may be beneficial.
Health care workers in the Sisonke trial, many of whom who were vaccinated more than six months ago, are being offered Johnson & Johnson booster doses. Pfizer has filed an application to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority for a third dose to be administered after the two dose primary series.
The Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vaccines has already indicated that it will recommend a staged introduction of boosters commencing with the older population. Other people with immunodeficiency, such as those on cancer treatment, renal dialysis and on steroids treatment for auto-immune diseases, are allowed booster doses on recommendation of their doctors.
As individuals, as companies and as government, we have a responsibility to ensure that all people in this country can work, travel and socialise safely. We have therefore been undertaking engagements with social partners and other stakeholders on introducing measures that make vaccination a condition for access to workplaces, public events, public transport and public establishments.
This includes discussions that have been taking place at NEDLAC between government, labour, business and the community constituency, where there is broad agreement on the need for such measures. Government has set up a task team that will undertake broad consultations on making vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations.
The task team will report to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Vaccination chaired by the Deputy President, which will make recommendations to Cabinet on a fair and sustainable approach to vaccine mandates. We realise that the introduction of such measures is a difficult and complex issue, but if we do not address this seriously and as a matter of urgency, we will continue to be vulnerable to new variants and will continue to suffer new waves of infection.
The second tool we have to fight the new variant is to continue to wear our face masks whenever we are in public spaces and in the company of people outside our households. There is now overwhelming evidence that the proper and consistent wearing of a cloth mask or other suitable face covering over both the nose and mouth is the best way to prevent the transmission of the virus from one person to another.
The third tool we have to fight the new variant is the cheapest and the most abundant: fresh air. This means that we must try as much as possible to be outdoors when we meet people outside our household.
When we are indoors with other people, or in cars, buses and taxis, we need to keep windows open to ensure that air can flow freely through the space. The fourth tool we have to fight the new variant is to avoid gatherings, particularly indoor gatherings.
Mass gatherings such as major conferences and meetings, especially those that require a large number of people to be in close contact over extended periods, should be changed to virtual formats.
End-of-year parties and matric year-end raves as well as other celebrations should ideally be postponed, and every person should think twice before attending or organising a gathering.
Where gatherings do take place, all the necessary COVID protocols must be closely observed. Every additional contact we have increases our risk of becoming infected or infecting someone else.
Fellow South Africans,
The National Coronavirus Command Council met yesterday to consider the recent rise in infections and the possible impact of the Omicron variant. This was followed by meetings earlier today of the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet, where a decision was taken that the country should remain on Coronavirus Alert
Level 1 for now and that the National State of Disaster should remain in place.
In taking the decision not to impose further restrictions at this stage, we considered the fact that when we encountered previous waves of infection, vaccines were not widely available and far fewer people were vaccinated.
That is no longer the case. Vaccines are available to anyone aged 12 and above, free of charge, at thousands of sites across the country. We know that they prevent severe disease and hospitalisation.
We also know that the coronavirus will be with us for the long term. We must therefore find ways of managing the pandemic while limiting disruptions to the economy and ensuring continuity.
However, this approach will not be sustainable if we do not increase the vaccination rate, if we do not wear masks, or if we fail to adhere to basic health precautions.
We should all remember that in terms of Alert Level 1 regulations:
We will closely monitor infection rates and hospitalisation over the coming days and will review the situation in another week. We will then need to determine whether the existing measures are adequate or whether changes need to be made to the current regulations.
We have started the process of amending our health regulations so that we can review the use of the Disaster Management Act to manage our response to the pandemic, with a view to ultimately lifting the National State of Disaster.
We will also implement our national resurgence plan to ensure that hospitals and other medical facilities are ready for the fourth wave. We are focusing on effective clinical governance, contact tracing and screening, effective clinical care, availability of health personnel.
To ensure our facilities are ready, all hospital beds that were available or required during the third wave of COVID-19 are planned and prepared for the fourth wave.
We are also working to ensure that oxygen supply is available to all beds earmarked for COVID-19 care. We will continue to be guided by the World Health Organization on international travel, which advises against the closure of borders.
Like most other countries, we already have the means to control the importation of variants to other countries. This includes the requirement that travellers produce a vaccination certificate and a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of travel, and that masks are worn for the duration of travel.
We are deeply disappointed by the decision of several countries to prohibit travel from a number of Southern African countries following the identification of the Omicron variant. This is a clear and completely unjustified departure from the commitment that many of these countries made at the meeting of G20 countries in Rome last month.
They pledged at that meeting to restart international travel in a safe and orderly manner, consistent with the work of relevant international organisations such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Maritime Organization and the OECD.
The G20 Rome Declaration noted the plight of the tourism sector in developing countries, and made a commitment to support a “rapid, resilient, inclusive and sustainable recovery of the tourism sector”.
Countries that have imposed travel restrictions on our country and some of our Southern African sister countries include the United Kingdom, United States, European Union members, Canada, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Japan, Thailand, Seychelles, Brazil and Guatemala, among others.
These restrictions are unjustified and unfairly discriminate against our country and our Southern African sister countries.
The prohibition of travel is not informed by science, nor will it be effective in preventing the spread of this variant. The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to, and recover from, the pandemic.
We call upon all those countries that have imposed travel bans on our country and our Southern African sister countries to urgently reverse their decisions and lift the ban they have imposed before any further damage is done to our economies and to the livelihoods of our people.
There is no scientific justification for keeping these restrictions in place. We know that this virus, like all viruses, does mutate and form new variants. We also know that the likelihood of the emergence of more severe forms of variants is increased significantly where people are not vaccinated.
That is why we have joined many countries, organisations and people around the world who have been fighting for equal access to vaccines for everyone. We have said that vaccine inequality not only costs lives and livelihoods in those countries that are denied access, but that it also threatens global efforts to overcome the pandemic.
The emergence of the Omicron variant should be a wake-up call to the world that vaccine inequality cannot be allowed to continue.
Until everyone is vaccinated, everyone will be at risk.
Until everyone is vaccinated, we should expect that more variants will emerge.
These variants may well be more transmissible, may cause more severe disease, and may be more resistant to the current vaccines.
Instead of prohibiting travel, the rich countries of the world need to support the efforts of developing economies to access and to manufacture enough vaccine doses for their people without delay.
Fellow South Africans,
The emergence of the Omicron variant and the recent rise in cases have made it clear that we will have to live with this virus for some time to come.
We have the knowledge, we have the experience and we have the tools to manage this pandemic, to resume many of our daily activities, and to rebuild our economy.
We have the ability to determine the path our country will take.
Every one of us needs to get vaccinated.
Every one of us needs to practice the basic health protocols like wearing masks, washing or sanitising our hands regularly, and avoiding crowded and closed spaces.
Every one of us needs to take responsibility for our own health and the health of those around us.
Every one of us has a role to play.
We will not be defeated by this pandemic.
We have already started learning to live with it.
We will endure, we will overcome and we will thrive.
God bless South Africa and protect her people.
I thank you.