KZN’s ‘futuristic’ Covid-19 response impresses Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded as “futuristic” the plans by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government to deal with the effects of Covid-19.
Ramaphosa was in KZN on Tuesday to assess the province's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The province had 1106 positive cases and 35 fatalities on Monday night.
Premier Sihle Zikalala gave a detailed report on the province's response to the virus, outlining the provincial government’s plans to cushion the economic blow.
Ramaphosa applauded Zikalala’s approach to solving the economic problems the province is inevitably going to face.
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"Your presentation spends a lot of time focusing on economic response and I would like to applaud you on that, because through this you are having a futuristic approach to the challenges your country is going to face.
"Covid-19 has dealt a huge blow to our economy and we now need to address that economy because the economy sustains life.”
Ramaphosa says the deadly virus will give government an opportunity to implement sorely-needed structural reforms.
"Covid-19, quite frankly, is giving us an opportunity to relook at our economic side. To see how do we as South Africans restructure our economy after coronavirus.
"I'm characterising the coronavirus after-effect as being post-war situation. We've been fighting an invisible enemy and now we need to start planning for a post-war situation.”
Ramaphosa added: "My view is we've got to put in place pillars of a new economy. We cannot continue in the same old way. A new economy where we will identify possibly new sectors, rebuilding those that were badly affected.”