Dear Editor
As South Africa and the Western Cape exit the fifth wave of Covid infections, the DA in the Western Cape calls on the National Government to lift all Covid-19 restrictions on sport and cultural events. The fact that a 50% venue capacity rule remains in place for sport and cultural venues, even when many other sectors of the country are returning to pre-Covid operational standards, is completely unreasonable.
The South African events industry is worth 7.5 billion dollars, and creates countless jobs. Our sport sector brings tourism and foreign investment into the country. At present, the Western Cape is preparing to host the Netball World Cup, the ABB Formula E Cape Town Grand Prix, the HSBC Cape Town Sevens, as well as a number of other local and international sports events. Curtailing these events by adhering to arbitrary and unnecessary restrictions punishes citizens who work in the industry, many of whom are already struggling under the burden of an unprecedented fuel price and cost of living.
But the industry most affected by the continuing limitation of spectators has been the arts and culture sector, the recent Baxter-Zabalaza theatre festival and the Klein Karoo Nationale Kunste Fees represented good opportunities for our artists to earn an income – especially those artist who have not been able to get work or support from the National Arts Council. However, these events too were forced to take place under capacity caps, hampering their income while still incurring the same costs.
Lifting Covid restrictions such as the 50% cap on the capacity of venues will not only give the events, culture, and sports industries room to recover, but will also pose almost no risk to public health. The country’s Covid restrictions have become increasingly detached from any measurable impact on hospitalisations and deaths. Either through vaccination or previous infection, South Africa claims high levels of hybrid immunity, and can no longer sustain the economic impact of overly cautious Covid measures.
The DA in the Western Cape joins Premier Alan Winde in his calls for the lifting of Covid restrictions, so that the Province’s economic recovery can continue unfettered.
Regards
Gillion Bosman, MPP
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Cultural Affairs and Sport
