Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on South Africans to do everything in their means to prevent the resurgence of Covid-19 when they exercise their right to vote in the upcoming municipal elections.
Announcing that the country was moving from alert level three to two on Sunday night, Ramaphosa said all gatherings would be limited to a maximum of 250 people indoors and 500 people outdoors.
The municipal elections will be held on November 1 and the election campaigning is in full swing.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa’s bid to ask the Constitutional Court to postpone elections to February was unsuccessful.
“It is vital that as we undertake this great democratic exercise, we do everything within our means to prevent a resurgence of Covid-19 infections.
“At the same time, we need to ensure that the pandemic does not limit the ability of all South Africans to freely exercise their democratic right to elect their local councillors,” Ramaphosa said.
He said he had discussed the matter with political party leaders earlier in the week during the consultation on easing the restrictions.
“There is a firm commitment from all parties that election campaigning should adhere to the state of disaster regulations and all health protocols.
“We urge all South Africans to exercise their right to campaign responsibly and take care to safeguard their own health and the health of others.”
Over a quarter of all adult South Africans have received at least one vaccine dose and more than seven million people were fully vaccinated.
In the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and the Western Cape, more than one in five adults was fully vaccinated.
The total number of vaccine doses administered in the country is 14.6 million doses.
“We are now administering a million doses every four to five days.”
Ramaphosa also said the government has secured sufficient vaccines to vaccinate the entire adult population, and the supply of vaccines was no longer a constraint.
“We are increasing the pace of vaccination and ensuring that we reach those that are most vulnerable to serious illness,” he said.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za
Political Bureau