“As I have said in my addresses to the nation, we will not be under lockdown forever. Even the ban on cigarettes will be lifted,” said Ramaphosa.

“It is still in place now in terms of our regulations and I think we should accept it as such and with time when we go to another level, the ban on cigarettes will also be lifted.”

Ramaphosa also defended government’s decision to lift the ban on the sale of alcohol and open more parts of the economy.

“The reality is that we could not remain under lockdown forever. People need to earn a living, learners need to continue with their education,” he said.

“The National Coronavirus Command Council discussed this matter extensively.

“The rationale really was that you could not keep a number of areas in the South African economy closed forever.”

But Ramaphosa also admitted some of these decisions have set off a host of other problems.

“After lifting these restrictions, we have started seeing the ugly side of our social life where there has been excessive abuse of alcohol which has led to a whole lot of other social ills.

“It has led to ills such as gender-based violence, it has led to road accidents, it has led to stab wounds, gun fights.”

“Our healthcare facilities are under a great deal of pressure.”