WATCH | From GBV to easing of restrictions: Important takeouts from Ramaphosa’s address to the nation

President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 17 2020 announced the easing of restrictions on restaurants for sit-down meals, accredited and licensed accommodation, conferences and meetings for business purposes, cinemas and theatres.

Ramaphosa said casinos and personal care services, such as hairdressers and beauty salons, will also be opened for business. Meanwhile, non-contact sports such as golf, cricket and tennis will also be permitted.

Ramaphosa said a date for the commencement of these eased restrictions was yet to be announced.

He was addressing the nation on developments in South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy to manage the spread of Covid-19.

He also used this time to touch on a trending topic, not just in South Africa but all around the world. He warned that gender-based violence (GBV) represented another pandemic.

He said he was appalled at the rate at which women were being killed in South Africa — and that it needed to stop. Ramaphosa announced various ways in which the government was trying to curb the spike in GBV, but said it was unfortunately not enough and that the country needed to stand together and not be silenced.

He said the youth — in particular young men — must ensure the safety of women, who were vulnerable to abuse, by being at the forefront of the fight against GBV.