Ramaphosa said government believed in its R500 billion ambitious relief package aimed at addressing the devastation caused by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The president held a virtual imbizo with South Africans on Wednesday night.

He said he understood the hardship South Africans were under right now, but it was not the time to give up.

“…And that in the coming months, we will begin to steadily see results. It is important that all of us play our part as we have done in these past few months. It has been a long three months of lockdown.”

With the country in level three lockdown, one South African asked why alcohol was permitted and not cigarettes.

This was his answer: “Even the ban on cigarettes will be lifted, it is still in place now in terms of our regulations and I think we should accept it as such.”

The president said with restrictions eased, it came with extra responsibility on South Africans to not unnecessarily endanger their own lives.

EWN