President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation on additional economic and social relief measures that form part of Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government is implementing a range of relief measures to support the most vulnerable South Africans during this difficult time, and to respond to the impact of the lockdown on workers and businesses.
South Africa has never had to deal with a public health emergency on the scale of the coronavirus pandemic. Extraordinary funding measures totalling R500bn are being channelled into healthcare, vital municipal services & social relief.
President Ramaphosa: Our foremost priority now is to intensify the health interventions needed to contain and delay the spread of the disease and to save lives. To date, the coronavirus has taken the lives of at least 58 people in our country.
Medical scientists and our doctors inform us that we are still in the early stages of this pandemic. Without proven therapeutic medicines or a vaccine, we can expect this to continue as a problem for the foreseeable future.
This is a loss that we all mourn, for we know the pain and the anguish of their loved ones. From the more than 126,000 tests conducted, 3,465 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been identified.
More than 2 million people have been screened in communities across the country and, of these, over 15,000 have been referred for testing.
Grant beneficiaries to receive an extra R250 a month for the next 3 months.
The coronavirus will lead to many people losing their jobs. An additional R100 million will be set aside for the protection of jobs and to create jobs.
Ramaphos says that taxpayers who contribute to the Solidarity Fund may qualify for tax rebates of up to 10 percent of their taxable income.
Ramaphosa says government will provide food vouchers, cash transfers for social relief to the most vulnerable.