[imagesource: YouTube / SABC News]
Remember that mask snafu President Cyril Ramaphosa had in the early days of COVID-19?
The guy looked like he was running on fumes as we battled to control the spread of the virus and get our healthcare facilities up to speed.
It was tough not to be sympathetic and Ramaphosa was following the advice of various leading experts in a situation that was changing day by day and week by week.
The same cannot really be said for the decision to extend the national state of disaster until April 15.
Multiple experts have spoken out against further extensions, calling them obsolete and harmful, and while there are indications that this may be the final month the delay points to poor planning (or worse).
In his latest cartoon for The Daily Maverick, Zapiro harked back to that old mask blunder to make his point:
It gets worse.
In his cartoon published on The Daily Maverick on March 18, he went even harder at Ramaphosa and our government:
Last Thursday, during a grilling in parliament, Ramaphosa said he would address the nation on the process of doing away with the state of disaster and implementing new health regulations ‘in the coming days’.
The wait goes on.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga, speaking to The Mail & Guardian, has even suggested there may be other factors at play:
[He] said the extension was “quite worrying” and that the State of Disaster was expedient for President Cyril Ramaphosa to better manage the ANC, for example, the suspension of Ace Magashule, after his pre-pandemic power struggle.
“We know this is an administration that is struggling politically. It is also because of the State of Disaster that the ANC policy conference was not held, and now we are looking at the prospect of having the conference under the State of Disaster which works for Cyril Ramaphsa as he will sit comfortably as an executive president at a redacted conference,” he said.
“The State of Disaster helps him do what he would not be able to do under normal circumstances. His party has been undergoing such crises and has been able to push through some decisions,” he said.
Throughout the entire pandemic, the sensible rallying cry has always been to follow the advice of experts (they have done their own research, and it didn’t involve believing unverified screenshots on Facebook and watching disinformation videos on YouTube).
Hopefully, our leaders continue to listen to those far more qualified than they are so that the correct decisions are taken going forward.
