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BusinessLive reports that in a widely anticipated move to deflect mounting legal pressure and boost business confidence, the government has ended the national state of disaster, which was brought into effect two years ago to manage the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has drawn heavy criticism from civil liberty groups for using the wide-ranging powers accorded to it by the Disaster Management Act to impose sweeping regulations that were not subject to public consultation or parliamentary oversight. Trade union Solidarity and civil rights group AfriForum launched legal action challenging the continued state of disaster, and the DA threatened last month to follow suit. In a televised address to the nation on Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the restrictions had been necessary to slow infections and limit the strain on the health system, but conceded they came at a price. SA has now entered a new phase in the pandemic and it was time for the state to step back and for individuals to take greater responsibility for protecting themselves against Covid-19, he said, urging more people to get vaccinated. “While the pandemic is not over, and while the virus remains among us, these conditions no longer require us to remain in a national state of disaster,” said Ramaphosa. The cabinet had agreed to lift the state of disaster with effect from midnight on Monday and repeal all the regulations brought into effect with the Disaster Management Act, with the exception of a few transitional measures that will lapse after 30 days.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive
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