WATCH: Maimane ready to discuss ‘which SA is which’ following Steenhuisen’s chaotic interview

Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen has been at the receiving end of mockery following his interview with the SABC on Thursday.

The DA has called for the national Covid-19 lockdown to end “swiftly”, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address on Wednesday evening.

The party’s lawyers will today file papers in the High Court challenging the rationality of the night curfew, restrictions on e-commerce and the limited three-hour window for exercise.

“Tomorrow (Friday), our lawyers will be filing court papers challenging the constitutionality of the Disaster Management Act. Because if the Act does not meet constitutional muster, it means the decisions taken by the National Command Council under this Act are not valid,” said Steenhuisen in a statement.

Steenhuisen told Flo Letoaba the court action follows discussions he had been having with fed-up South Africans who want the lockdown to be eased.

“Which South Africans have you been having discussions with?” was Letoaba’s question.

In response, Steenhuisen lost his cool and accused the host of speaking for Ramaphosa.

He said: “I am having conversations with South Africans who are clearly fed-up. Would you like me to provide you with a list? On social media, I host a show called Corona Costs, you should tune in sometimes and we have conversations with lots and lots of citizens who send their queries. I receive a lot of correspondence as a leader of the opposition.

“I’m glad the president’s got you in his corner because he has obviously been speaking to you.”

Also read: Heads must roll, says DA as it announces three lockdown decisions it will challenge in court

Following the interview, social media users have been asking Steenhuisen which South Africans he is representing, with the hashtag #WhichSouthAfricans trending.

Former DA leader Mmusi Maimane has offered Letoaba an interview in which he will clarify “which South Africa is which”.

He said: “You see I think the key is respect. Ubuntu. That’s all that we need. Journalists have a job to do, we must respect that and be professional in how we respond, i-straight lendaba.”

Watch the interview below:

According to Steenhuisen, the lockdown has destroyed more lives than it has saved, with millions of jobs lost.

“The DA supported the first three-week national lockdown, to buy time to gather healthcare resources and prepare hospitals. Sadly, this did not happen, except in the Western Cape. Heads must roll.

“The initial lockdown was also an opportunity to build test, track and trace capacity so that a smart lockdown (localised lockdowns) could be pursued. Sadly, this has not happened, except in the Western Cape. Heads must roll.

“The last two to four weeks of lockdown have not been necessary, rational or justified. Cyril Ramaphosa is being disingenuous in suggesting that the lockdown has saved lives. It has merely delayed the peak. But the peak is inevitable whether we lock down or not.

“It is not a rational strategy and has not been so for weeks. It is irrational and disproportionate to the scale of the risk that Covid-19 poses, relative to other risks. And it has not been supported by an adequate safety net for poor people and small businesses,” said Steenhuisen. 

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