Dear Mr President @CyrilRamaphosa
Today we& #39;re on Day 13 of the lockdown & I have heard that you might consider extending it by 2 weeks,
Mr President this would be devastating for my business & I& #39;m sure many other businesses, especially small ones. Not forgetting job losses.

People think SMMEs can handle a lockdown of 5 weeks, but I can assure you they only say that because they are not running businesses. It& #39;s already been difficult doing so under the current policies that government imposes on us. Under lockdown & with doors shut, it& #39;s crippling.

Mr President, I am not saying what government is trying to achieve is not important. I& #39;m saying, let us look at the costs of a lockdown to businesses and jobs, and base decisions on that. Of course an end to lockdown doesn& #39;t mean we& #39;ll stop protecting ourselves from infection.

With the stringent measures, most of which were not thoroughly looked at before making, we have seen retailers not being able to sell all their wares. We have also seen clothing shops, hardware stores, fast food places taking a knock. We feel this too.

So, before deciding to extend the lockdown, please consider the points I have made Mr President. Our economy is on the brink, please don& #39;t be the one to push it right over the edge by extending the lockdown.

I hope you will take all this into consideration.

Sincerely, Unathi