Ramaphosa: We're in a war and our rights will inadvertently be restricted
Speaking at the second virtual imbizo on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that in a time of war, sometimes the rights of citizens were affected or restricted to protect them.
JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the country was in a war and the enemy was COVID-19.
Ramaphosa said that sometimes while at war, the rights of citizens were limited to protect everyone in the country.
He said that government did this by implementing a hard lockdown in March to prepare for the spread of the coronavirus.
The president was speaking during his second imbizo with South Africans on Wednesday night.
Ramaphosa said that South Africans must understand that the fight against the virus is a fight for our lives.
“We are now in a war. We are in a war zone and our rights will inadvertently be affected and restricted for our own survival.”
With the surge expected to hit soon, Ramaphosa said that the whole country was now considered a hotspot.
“The whole country is a hotspot on its own, including a number of areas where we thought the rate of infection would not be as big as in other areas.”
The president said that without a cure or vaccine, there was no telling how long this virus would be with us.
