POLL | What do you think Ramaphosa will announce tonight?

President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation on Sunday evening, with many predicting a harsher lockdown is on the cards.

SA has seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections over the last week, with experts detecting a new variant “of concern”, Omicron.

Ramaphosa's address comes after a meeting of the coronavirus command council on Saturday, which drew up recommendations on how to contain the new variant.

Several countries have imposed a travel ban on the country due to the variant, with Dutch health authorities confirming on Sunday that 13 cases of the Omicron variant have been found in the Netherlands among passengers that were on two flights from SA.

Several business and community leaders have spoken against a harsh lockdown in response to the rise in infections.

Pastor Chris Mathebula of Hope Restoration Ministries in Kempton Park told the Sunday Times: “We are not going to accept any restriction measures on gatherings because as the church we have never stopped complying with the precautionary measures, unlike the politicians who were campaigning while breaking all the Covid-19 rules and regulations.”

Earlier this week, minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele shared his personal view that SA should avoid a harsh lockdown.

“We wish there must never be a possibility of locking down this country again. We are still dealing with the damage of 2020,” he said.

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