Business organisations start campaign to end lockdown completely 

13 August 2020

Business organisations in South Africa are coming together in a campaign to end lockdown. They are not satisfied by lockdown moving from one level to another and want to make it clear that business is insisting on a complete end to lockdown. 

Signatories so far represent more than 50 000 members and include the LWO Employers Organisation, National Employers Association of South Africa, Restaurant Association of South Africa, SAAI, Sakeliga, TLU SA, and others to be confirmed.  

Called Business for Ending Lockdown, the campaign has a simple declaration: 

The lockdown is causing a humanitarian disaster. As business organisations, businesses, and businesspeople, we demand for the sake of all in South Africa that the government: 

1) End the lockdown immediately; 

2) Lift the state of disaster; 

3) Allow people and organisations to manage their unique risks by converting all Covid-19 regulations into non-compulsory recommendations. 

The campaign is inviting all other business organisations, businesses, and businesspeople to support the declaration, and be counted as signatories. 

The campaign’s steering committee includes advisors Russell Lamberti (economist at ETM Macro Advisors and Pandemic Data Analysis), Dawie Roodt (economist at Efficient Group), Mike Schüssler (economist at economists.co.za), Johannes Wessels (research director at Economic Observatory of South Africa), and Gerhard van Onselen (analyst at Sakeliga). 

Members of the public are invited to support the declaration online at www.endlockdown.co.za. 

Business organisations wishing to add their support as signatories can approach any of the existing signatories, or send an email to [email protected]. 

Business organisations 

Piet le Roux, Sakeliga (acting as convenor): 082 616 9501 

Pieter Breytenbach, LWO Employers Organisation: 082 944 6886 

Gerhard Papenfus, National Employers Association of South Africa: 082 557 2724 

Wendy Alberts, Restaurant Association of South Africa: 083 661 9000 

Theo de Jager, SAAI: 082 332 2110 

Bennie van Zyl, TLU SA: 082 466 4470 

Issued by Piet le Roux, CEO, Sakeliga, 13 August 2020