In the afternoon of December 22, 2012, acting-president Kgalema Motlanthe and his cabinet met in Pretoria to discuss how to move the country forward in the wake of the cataclysm. By a majority vote, the cabinet agreed that the best option for South Africa was to stabilize the economy, increase agricultural output, and the assisting of displaced individuals and refugees. Literally overnight, he passed a series of directives, which includes the establishment of martial law; government confiscation of farms; ad the rationing of food and medical supplies.