People are starving Mr President.

LAND Party find it fruitless to extend the lockdown while there is no mass testing of citizens. Since President Ramaphosa announced the mass testing campaign, LAND Party can safely say there are still no mobile clinics available in previously disadvantaged townships and informal settlements and not much testing going on at all. LAND Party believes that the national government is more lenient on the Western Cape provincial government, who have refused to implement certain national government strategies. We ask the National government to force the Western Cape government to implement all strategies and tactics announced by the President during the lockdown period. The Western Cape government continues to violate lockdown rules, from selling cigarettes, setting up unsafe tents to accommodate the homeless, erecting refugee camps and evicting and demolishing homes in Empolweni, Khayelitsha on Thursday. There are no command centres in DA municipalities like the Overstrand Municipality and the poor are suffering as a result. The minimal food resources that have been made available have been dished out to friends and families of certain councillors. If it were not for the actions of civil society groups and individuals there would be no food in the poor communities at all. It is unfair to tax payers to carry another burden at this time. A burden that is the responsibility of the state. It is unfair to expect people to starve and adhere to the lockdown. In our fight against the COVID-19 virus we cannot allow people to die of hunger. LAND Party asks for the establishment of a national COVID-19 oversight task team that will ensure that all provinces are adhering with the national government strategy and that no one goes to bed hungry. It is more likely that people will defy authorities if they are starved during the lockdown, as we are all aware that a hungry stomach has no manners. This national COVID-19 oversight task team should work directly with communities as an humanitarian aid. It must observe, instruct and assist the poor communities and report all municipalities that are dysfunctional in executing effective disaster management plans or acting swiftly against the virus. We also ask government to allow local fishermen to be allowed to fish crayfish, abalone, fish and oysters without permits to feed their families. All seafood must be harvested without any restrictions. Abalone farms should be forced to give abalone to the communities around them as abalone trade with China is currently suspended and people are starving. This is the time for South Africans to benefit from local resources. Many South Africans do not know how abalone tastes so now is the time. If government does not act immediately, we will see uncontrollable uprising and chaos. The poor people have nothing to lose but the political elite, the rich and government. For the last time, speed up the mass testing process and give people food during the lockdown. END