Durban - The Inkatha Freedom Party will contribute R500 000 to the Covid-19 Solidarity Fund over three months, the party said on Saturday.
The threat of the Covid-19 pandemic had necessitated drastic measures in the form of the national lockdown to slow down the rate of transmissions and to "flatten the curve", IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa said in a statement.
The lockdown, while a being a necessary intervention in a time of crisis, had adversely affected South Africa’s already struggling economy. The road to recovery would most definitely be a difficult one which would require patriotic cooperation, collaborative action, and policy certainty, he said.
Accordingly, the IFP national executive committee (NEC), in a teleconference meeting on Friday, unanimously agreed that the IFP would make a contribution of R500,000 to the Solidarity Fund over a three-month period.
"This contribution will be sourced from IFP public representatives through the office of the IFP treasurer general," Hlabisa said.
"The IFP stands in solidarity with South Africans during this time, and we hope our contribution to the Solidarity Fund will make a meaningful difference," he said.
"Our demonstrations of solidarity need not be monetary, but through our small and personal efforts we can all help each other as South Africans. We reiterate our call to South Africans to adhere to the rules and regulations of the lockdown," Hlabisa said.