SASSA technical glitch

Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, 9/12/2021 – Image: GCIS/ Flickr

Curfew ‘could still return’ to South Africa – under THESE circumstances

The curfew is gone, but not forgotten – and the government has left the door open for this restriction to return if necessary.

SASSA technical glitch

Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, 9/12/2021 – Image: GCIS/ Flickr

Ding dong, the curfew’s gone! Well, certainly for tonight, anyway…

The government has confirmed that the four-hour curfew in place between 0:00 and 4:00 at Level 1 of lockdown has been dropped, meaning South Africans can have a relatively restriction-free New Year’s Eve.

Curfew gone… for now

The fourth wave of the virus appears to have passed in Mzansi, with hospital admissions and mortality rates coming in at relatively low levels. However, this doesn’t mean we are out of the woods just yet.

COVID-19 is still circulating in this country, and if we’ve learned anything since March 2020, it’s to expect the unexpected with this pandemic. That’s the tone Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele set while addressing the media on Friday.

What could bring the curfew back?

Despite lifting the curfew, Gungubele stated that the government is in no rush to lift the State of Disaster regulations. He reasoned that they are needed in case the COVID-19 situation takes an unfavourable turn – and these circumstances COULD see curfew make a return later down the line:

  • While the State of Disaster Regulations are still active, a curfew can still be enacted by decree.
  • Any ‘unplanned situation’ with COVID-19 – such as a huge spike in cases or a new variant – may facilitate its return.
  • If people fail to follow existing coronavirus guidelines, curfew could return to help increase compliance.

Minister says State of Disaster ‘needed just in case’

Gungubele explained that neither he nor his colleagues wish to see the curfew come back – but their hands may be forced in the months ahead.

“Every opportunity we have, we want to open up the economy. We’ve just done that by lifting the curfew. The danger is, we should not do away with a tool that enables us to intervene in case an unplanned situation concerning COVID-19 occurs. We can’t just remove it.”

“Our hope is that the curfew does not return, and people should keep following measures to prevent curfew coming back. We wish that it never comes back. The government does not like the State of Disaster, but circumstances have caused the need for it.”

Mondli Gungubele