COGTA Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Image: Flickr.
COGTA Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Image: Flickr.
Well, it took 25 months – and perhaps a little longer than some were hoping for – but South Africa’s State of Disaster is set to come to an end very soon. In fact, all signs indicate that the emergency legislation will be lifted by tomorrow.
So long, lockdown? State of Disaster ‘likely to end on Tuesday’
Last week, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma explained that the time had come to lift the State of Disaster, now that permanent rules for handling COVID-19 were being adopted by the National Health Act instead.
The COGTA Minister said the government intends to end adjusted Level 1 of lockdown ‘on Tuesday 5 April’. However, the Cabinet has not yet confirmed that we have entered our final hours of the Disaster Act.
“The president will announce the end of the National State of Disaster, which will be before the 15th [of April]. Depending on the comments, it may be on Tuesday 5 April.”
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Will lockdown laws end tomorrow? It’s looking nailed-on…
Trade union Solidariteit are confident that the State of Disaster will expire tomorrow, though – because Minister Dlamini-Zuma sent them a letter last week confirming this will be the case.
Of course, a promise from the ANC isn’t always worth the paper it’s written on. But NDZ and her colleagues face the looming threat of court action if the emergency regulations continue into Wednesday. In a recently published statement, Solidariteit are adamant that the government want to avoid a legal case ‘at all costs’.
- Therefore, an announcement on the State of Disaster’s demise can be expected by tomorrow:
“Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma confirmed in a letter to Solidarity her firm intention to end the State of Disaster on Tuesday 5 April. The parties also agreed that, should the State of Disaster not be terminated on Tuesday, Solidarity could proceed with its urgent application in court on Wednesday 6 April.”
“The State of Disaster is irrational and unlawful. The government has realised this and wanted to avoid a court case at all costs. This is a major breakthrough for ordinary South Africans. The strange Command Council can now be replaced by parliamentary oversight, as it should be. We are not going to wait any longer.”
Solidariteit statement
