Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader, Julius Malema echoes popular sentiments in South Africa that schools should be closed.
He advised President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider the risks children may be exposed to with the Department of Basic Education moving forward with the phased approach to reopening schools ahead of the expected peak in infections.
Malema tweeted thus: “Chief please close schools, I’m asking you nicely Cyril Ramaphosa. I won’t congratulate you on alcohol because I warned you, but you choose to listen to white capital and look now. Anyway, they deserve you as their president because they voted for you. Comprador, think of our kids.”
Also, One SA movement leader, Mmusi Maimane had led a fierce campaign in an attempt to legally compel the government to close schools during the pandemic.
The EFF had warned Ramaphosa that allowing alcohol sales to resume under Level 3 of the national lockdown in response to the pandemic would ‘end in tears’ and Maleme’s prophecy came to pass as alcohol worsened the complications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The EFF had insisted it was wrong to un-ban alcohol as the infection rates were on the high side.
Malema said the only solution to relieve pressure off the health system was to ban the sale of alcohol as was the case during the lockdown.
South Africa relaxed its regulations and entered Level 3 on 1 June and since then there have been numerous incidents linked to alcohol.
Hospitals around the country have also been inundated with alcohol-linked cases.
