By STAFF REPORTER
The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) has urged people to continue to adhere to COVID-19 regulations. This comes after the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa put the country on the adjusted Lockdown level 2 on Sunday evening.
SANCO national spokesperson, Simon Skhosana said in a statement that they welcome the lowering of COVID-19 restrictions, however, they caution against irresponsible behaviour particularly in the run-up towards the 2021 Local Government Elections on 1 November 2021.
“Vaccine hesitancy remains a major obstacle towards herd immunity which will guarantee economic recovery and a return to some form of normalcy. Public education and mobilization to ramp up vaccination rollout must therefore be intensified to counter myths and conspiracy theories particularly among men.
“We implore various political parties not to run ahead of themselves in their quest to speedily mobilise voters through mass gatherings while compromising the lives of the targeted voters. Those who do so would not be deserving of anyone’s vote,” he said.
Skhosana highlighted that non-surgical intervention such as wearing of masks, observing social distancing, and regular washing of hands or sanitizing must be religiously followed to curb infections.
He also urged unregistered and first-time voters to make use of the 18-19 September 2021 final weekend voter registration to register for participation in the crucial elections.
“None should miss the opportunity to exercise their hard-won democratic right to vote for candidates of their own choice who will advance their wishes and aspirations. All of us must go out there and ensure that our addresses are correctly captured on the voters’ roll.
“Communities must not be intimidated by those who are desperate enough to resort to political killings and public violence when they are not nominated as councillors. Barbaric acts of violence such as the drive-by shooting that claimed the lives of three women in KwaZulu-Natal have no place in democratic processes,” said Skhosana.
He further calls on communities to reject such heinous and ghastly acts with the contempt that they deserve as well as assist law enforcement agencies to unmask the heartless perpetrators responsibly.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said: “South Africa is fast becoming a vaccination site. Over a quarter of all adult South Africans have received at least one vaccine dose and more than 7
million people are fully vaccinated.
“In the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, and the Western Cape, more than 1 in 5 adults are now fully vaccinated. The total number of vaccine doses administered in the country now stands at 14.6 million doses.”
He said they are now administering a million doses every 4 to 5 days. Ramaphosa added that the government has secured sufficient vaccines to vaccinate the entire adult population, and the supply of vaccines is no longer a constraint.
The Guardian 