Source: https://www.dw.com/en/south-africa-l...ses/a-53869137

Date 19.06.2020
South Africa lockdown 'no longer sustainable' despite surge in cases
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he was trying "to balance our overriding objective of saving lives and protecting livelihoods." Around 40% of South Africans live below the poverty line; the lockdown hit them hard.

South Africa faced one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, with almost all outdoor movement restricted and a firm ban placed on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was praised for ordering the lockdown, but the measures pummeled the nation's economy, which was already facing a recession before the coronavirus.

Despite a rapid rise in cases, Ramaphosa pushed to continue to ease lockdown restrictions this week. In an address to the nation, he focused on the need to preserve economic livelihoods and called for a reopening of the leisure industry...