Government cannot micromanage its way out of coronavirus crisis, writes Ryan Ravens
The Sandton CBD in Johannesburg, empty and unproductive during the Covid-19 lockdown. Picture: SEBABATSO MOSAMO
Reading between the lines, one thing was clear in Ramaphosa's speech: the pace at which government believes we should proceed. The astounding lack of urgency about salvaging our economy is cause for considerable alarm, if not flat-out panic. The economic cost of the ongoing lockdown is being severely underestimated, and the government seems oblivious to the carnage playing out in business. Most South African businesses, across all sectors, have been under enormous pressure during the past decade as we tried to navigate a particularly difficult operating environment hampered by policy uncertainty and rampant corruption.This extended and overly severe lockdown will be the death blow for many companies.
We do not need to be mollycoddled by the government. It would make far more sense for the government to open up the economy entirely, and work closely with business to restrict items and practices that pose the highest risk. It makes absolutely no sense to try to define which items may be bought while others may not.
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