restaurants

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When will restaurants and cinemas open? DA demand answers

The DA have given the NCC until Friday to release the regulations for restaurants and cinemas or they say will take legal action.

restaurants

Photo: Adobe Stock

It has been eight days since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Level 3 regulations would be relaxed to further open the economy, however there has been no word since then on how exactly that needs to happen in for restaurants and cinemas. 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) have said on Thursday25 June that government need to urgently specify how such businesses, which are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to welcome back guests, should operate. 

No word on restaurants, cinemas 

The latest government gazette outlined how hair salons and other businesses in the personal care care need to operate in order to comply with strict health and safety protocols, but made no mention of how restaurants should do similar. 

DA Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry Dean Macpherson said that the opposition party has written to a variety of ministers in the National Command Council instructing them to release the crucial information by no later than close of business on Friday 26 June. 

He said that the DA wrote to Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Small Business Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and Tourism Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane demanding clarity on the situation.

Macpherson said that the delay is leaving thousands of south africans in the lurch. Many restaurants are frantically gearing up to to open but are as of yet unclear about what their obligations will be in terms of protecting the health of their clients. 

“It has now been eight days since President Ramaphosa announced that these sectors, as well as the personal care industry would be allowed to open, subject to health protocols,” he said. 

“It is simply inexplicable why the regulations for restaurants and cinemas have not been issued, leaving thousands of businesses in South Africa uncertain as to when they can open and what regulations they will need to comply with in order to do so.”

“What have these Ministers been doing for the last eight days exactly?”

‘Government saved themselves form humiliating court loss’

Macpherson said that the only reason government acted so swiftly to publish the regulations around personal care industry was to avoid losing a court battle with the DA, with the matter having been set down for 22 June.

“To date, the only protocols that have been published were that of the personal care industry so that government could save themselves from a humiliating court case which they would have lost.

“This cack-handed approach by government to these regulations is not acceptable and they should be released immediately to avoid any further legal action in forcing ministers to do the jobs they are paid to do.”