SA must counter threats to civil liberties – IRR
14 May 2020
Now that it has become clear that the lockdown is not a temporary phenomenon but a fixture for the foreseeable future, it is all the more vital to examine, and counter, the threat it poses to the political and economic freedoms of all South Africans.
So warned Dr Anthea Jeffery, Head of Policy Research at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), in an online media briefing today on the dangers to liberty in this time of crisis. The briefing coincided with the publication of Dr Jeffery’s latest report, Keeping Liberty Alive.
The reports warns that the economic damage from the continuing lockdown will be catastrophic – especially for the poorest South Africans who receive little protection from the lockdown in the first instance.
Says Dr Jeffery: ‘At the same time, the threat to liberty is expanding too. Now that it has become clear that the lockdown is not a temporary phenomenon but a fixture for the foreseeable future, it is all the more vital to examine the threat it poses to the political and economic freedoms of all South Africans.’