Citizens need to take responsibility during the Covid-19 pandemic but the government also needs to start explaining some of its decisions, writes Mbhazima Shilowa.
On Sunday 12 July, the head of the family convened yet another family gathering. And as soon as he walked into the room you could tell that “nkulu wa munhu va dye makala” (he had reached the end of his tether). The powder keg was about to explode.
Gone was the it’s-in-your-hands, do-as-you-wish attitude. In its place came: I told you to wear masks. Drink responsibly at home. Stay home unless you have to go to work or get essentials and not to host parties. You ignored me. While some have heeded the call and followed the regulations, a number of you behaved as if there were no restrictions at all. I am now up to here and have decided to act accordingly.
Then President Cyril Ramaphosa announced: There shall be no sale of alcohol with immediate effect; people must remain home between 21:00 and 04:00; it will be mandatory to wear masks; and anyone in position of authority that allows people to enter their premises or transport without one will be fined.
Those who were half-listening or talking among themselves suddenly paid attention: How dare he? Not even a warning. Why does he treat us like kids? This is not what we voted for. And to think I convinced my friends he was the real deal!
Others were looking at the naughty ones with smirks on their faces: We told you it wouldn’t last, that you were stretching him to the limit. Ever since he announced some of the relaxations you have behaved as if we were now at Level 1 or none at all. You started hosting parties despite him saying no and went to other provinces for no reason at all, other than the fact that you could. Often you refused to wear masks. When last were you home in time since he lifted the curfew?
With numbers rising exponentially, amid calls by some provinces and health workers to act decisively, something had to give.
Someone in the back says: “Taxis are loading at full capacity and are allowed to ferry passengers to other provinces. Yet I can’t have a beer, whiskey or wine in my house. Churches, cinemas and casinos are open but I can’t visit my relatives.”
But it doesn’t matter. This is where we are now.
Trauma units
The restrictions on the sale and transportation of alcohol are ostensibly, to free hospital beds because the initial lifting of the ban increased trauma cases, putting trauma units under pressure. While it will definitely bring some relief to the health facilities, it is a blunt instrument, especially since we will be back to square one once the restrictions are lifted.
The ban has very little impact on the elite because they have cellars and are likely to have stocked up. And although working-class people in townships and rural areas have no cellars, liquor will be sold underground.
The problem is the irresponsible use of alcohol which corrupt law enforcement officers encourage when they take bribes instead of arresting drunk drivers. What happened to the much-vaunted demerit system? Countries that have implemented it fully without mercy to drivers and corrupt officials have seen reductions in accidents and drunk driving.
The same goes for violent behaviour, especially at home and in drinking holes. The system seems tardy and lenient towards perpetrators. While there is a role for the liquor industry and a responsibility on society to promote responsible drinking, we are going nowhere slowly until the system shows no leniency for those who are found guilty.
If I was the premier of the Western Cape, I would be hopping mad. In one fell swoop, the government shut down the economy of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek and Hermanus. These dorpies rely on the wine and tourism industries. The assertion that we are doing everything to keep the economy going rings hollow for them. The government could have engaged them on the role they can play to ensure responsible drinking in the same way that they are involved in curbing fetal alcohol syndrome.
Taxi industry
Another issue that irked many was the permission given to public transport services, taxis in particular, to load to full capacity. There was a feeling that the industry’s defiance paid off. What could they do though?
Sure, the taxi industry bullied the government into this position and started acting in defiance. But in a country with no public transport to speak of, no subsidy for the taxi industry and no resources to offer relief, this is the only way out if we want to keep the economy going. There are few buses and railway system is, for all intents and purposes, dead thanks to corruption and the vandalism of infrastructure.
While a lot of noise is being made about providing subsidies to taxis, this has been an issue since 2004 when Jeff Radebe was the transport minister. The same with regulation of the industry. It always peters off closer to elections or is abandoned because of resistance from the industry.
One solution to the rail problem is to transfer Metrorail to provinces to create an integrated, inter-modal transport system with single ticketing.
The elephant in the room which the president ignored is rampant corruption, fraud and the embezzlement of Covid-19 funds. It is one thing to condemn it, but another to take steps to deal with it decisively. The only way to bring it to an end is to arrest, prosecute and jail the perpetrators. Currently, they’re getting away with murder.
Maybe we are expecting too much when it comes to the notion of a new dawn, where corruption is a thing of the past and is punished.
Just this week an investigation into the Public Service Commission (PSC) found that the president failed to take action against the commission’s director-general, despite recommendations that he should be suspended. He has also not seen it fit to explain why he ignored the call.
No wonder he, once more, did not allow the media to ask questions following his address to the nation, despite a public undertaking during a meeting with South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) last month. Allowing the media to ask questions strengthens accountability and presents an opportunity to clarify decisions that appear to contradict the recommendations of the World Health Organisation.
Reducing infections and stemming the rise in infections require a joint effort between the government and its citizens.
We have the right to question the decisions taken by the government but equally, citizens should keep their side of the bargain by wearing masks, restricting unnecessary movement, practising physical distancing and not hosting parties.
– Mbhazima Shilowa is the former premier of Gauteng and the former general-secretary of Cosatu.
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