EFF STATEMENT ON CYRIL RAMAPHOSA ADDRESS ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE COUNTRY'S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Sunday, 27 June 2021

The EFF rejects the announcement by Cyril Ramaphosa and calls on the people of South Africa to defy Ramaphosa until there is a clear vaccination plan for the whole country. Experience has thus far demonstrated that Lockdowns and restrictions are not a measure to contain CORONA Virus, and that only massive vaccination will contain the pandemic.

The measures by Ramaphosa are not an assurance that there will not be 4th and 5th wave of the pandemic. Without a clear vaccination plan that sources vaccines from all parts of the world including Russia, China and Cuba, Ramaphosa's measures are not worth respecting.

The EFF will therefore not comply to the dictates of Ramaphosa and will continue with our political programmes and mobilization because as things stand, there are by-elections on the 30th of June 2021 and Local Government Elections on the 27th of October 2021. We will not allow dictatorial lockdowns of Ramaphosa to prevent us from preparing our branches, members and we will not stop in convincing as many people as possible that the current government must be removed from power.

Thousands of activists in South Africa 🇿🇦 demand a faster coronavirus vaccination rollout and approval of Russian, Chinese and Cuban vaccines pic.twitter.com/zL5N0Vf4ma

— Sputnik V (@sputnikvaccine) June 25, 2021

Refusing us as a political party the necessary space and constitutional right to stand for elections and persuade people to vote for the EFF is illegal and will never be accepted. No politician, worse a president of a political party must be allowed to ban and stop political gatherings of other political parties. It is unconstitutional to ban political gatherings.

We call for the defiance and rejection of Ramaphosa's lockdowns and restrictions because they are not accompanied by a comprehensive and believable plan to end the devastating impact of the CORONA virus. The EFF made the highest total contribution to the Solidarity Fund from payroll, with a donation totalling R15 million, almost twice the government contribution and four times companies such as Coronation Fund Managers, Capitec Bank, AngloGold Ashanti, Sibanye Stillwater, and Pepkor, who made billions every year from South African economy. We made these contributions without any expectations.

The EFF warned South Africa as Ramaphosa, and the ruling party mismanaged and looted state resources. Ramaphosa announced non-existent R500 billion economic stimulus budgets while, in reality, the Treasury intensified austerity, including cutting the public healthcare budget. Ministers, MECs and Mayors lined up their family and friends to loot monies meant for protective clothing for nurses, doctors, policemen and women, and frontline workers. Hundreds of frontline workers lost their lives on duty because of Ramaphosa weak control over government response to COVID-19.

Ramaphosa is hiding behind COVID-19 to avoid political oversight and accountability. Ramaphosa is using lockdowns and restrictions to manage the inevitable but coming removal of the ANC from power in all municipalities. The government did not prepare anything. Instead, we are in the 3rd wave without additional hospital capacity or vaccine.

It is not true that South African Health Products Regulatory (SAHPRA) relies on science only and only uses scientific measures to decide on which medicines to authorize in South Africa. SAHPRA is captured by big pharmaceutical companies led by Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation and ASPEN.

In February, we raised our concerns in Parliament about SAPHRA receiving R27.6 million and R45 million in 2019 and 2020 respectively from Gates Foundation, and R2.5 million from Public Health Enhancement Fund, which ASPEN funds, and potential conflict of interest. Bill Gates has shares in Johnson & Johnson. We have been proven right as SAPRHA is now meddling in politics. At the forefront of vaccine capture by a group of few elites to benefit a network of individuals around ASPEN, SAPRHA Chairperson Helen Rees and her husband hide behind a network of shareholders.

We demand all scientifically tested and proven vaccines from Russia, China and now Cuba. We cannot be force fed American vaccines, while there are options. The failure to rollout SPUTNIK V and CORONAVAC/SINOVAC and any other vaccine proved to have sufficient efficacy regardless of where it is manufactured means Ramaphosa is responsible for all the recorded deaths we see today. Lockdowns and alcohol ban are not a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Vaccines are what will save people's lives and return the economy to some sense of normality. The EFF rejects Ramaphosa lockdown that seeks to imprison us while he continues to mismanage state resources. We will only support measures based on the rapid rollout of vaccines.

Statement issued by the EFF, 27 June 2021