DURBAN - More South African non-governmental organisations have added their voices against the extension of the National State of Disaster regulations on Covid-19, until April 15, 2022.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said this week that the extension took into consideration the “need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the disaster”.
The country has been under regulations since March 2020.
Civil rights organisation AfriForum started legal action in February to have the state of disaster nullified.
AfriForum campaigns manager Jacques Broodryk said the government’s legal representatives had indicated that they would oppose AfriForum’s actions.
AfriForum states that there is currently no disaster and hence no need for a state of disaster.
Dear SA campaign manager Rob Hutchinson said on Wednesday that they were joining forces with AfriForum and going ahead with the court case to try and set a precedent that the government could not reinstate a state of disaster without parliamentary oversight and proper public participation and consultation.
“It was an irrational decision. They have put all the power in the hands of one minister who can set regulations. We believe the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) is an unconstitutional body,” Hutchinson said.
Progressive Health Forum’s Dr Aslam Dasoo said the Disaster Management Act was designed to deal with sudden natural or unnatural disasters, and not to manage a complex multiyear pandemic.
Dasoo said the NCCC was not transparent, lacked accountability and did not have parliamentary oversight.
By majority vote, the portfolio committee on Cogta decided not to accept a motion of desirability on the proposed Disaster Management Amendment Bill.
This was a Private Member’s Bill sponsored by Dr PJ Groenewald of the Freedom Front Plus, which the Speaker had referred to the committee on February 10, 2021.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health stated that South Africa recorded a 96.8% Covid-19 recovery rate.
Daily News