TimesLIVE reports that an advocate who went to court to highlight the plight of hairdressers under Covid-19 lockdown should have combed through the roots of the regulations more thoroughly, a judge said on Thursday.  

Cape Town high court judge Lee Bozalek pointed out that while Carlo Viljoen had aimed his legal challenge at health minister Zweli Mkhize, in fact the custodian of lockdown regulations was cooperative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.  "The [health] minister simply does not have the power or authority to compel the minister of cooperative governance to change the regulations pertaining to the industry," said Bozalek in dismissing Viljoen's application.  But the judge did indicate that the application had raised questions about the wholesale suspension of sectors such as hairdressing and he suggested mediation between the sector and the government so that salons could open under certain conditions.  Although Viljoen did not have support from the Employers Organisation for Hairdressing, Cosmetology and Beauty (EOHCB), which it appeared from court arguments would rather negotiate with the government about a way to restart operations, he told Bozalek on Wednesday he had received supportive e-mails from hundreds of hairdressers.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Aron Hyman at TimesLIVE

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