South Africa's relatively low number of #covid19 infection & mortality rates, is the only reason why there is debate regarding the merits of lockdown. Its initiation - as elsewhere - was an unprecedented measure to best preserve human life which its achieved to date
Its relative effectiveness has now become its primary point of contention. Those slating lockdown due to its economic impacts, hardly credit it for its role in possibly preventing a pervasive outbreak many anticipated would occur & which could've led to widespread social disorder
So now, the argument presented is that lockdown will still end up delivering the very societal breakdown which it was aimed to mitigate. These narratives continue to play out with the recurring theme that South Africa's black poor will seek out any opportunity to create anarchy
Its as if mass unemployment; widespread hunger & lack of economic opportunities were not already the condition of millions of South Africans & that 30 days of lockdown will somehow deliver the type of apocalyptic social breakdown that decades of apartheid never did induce
This is not me downplaying the impact of #Lockdownextention on the poor for whom these are disproportionately tough. But many who are championing the plight of the poor had no issue with an economic system which kept them in a perpetual state of destitution pre-lockdown
