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Moneyweb reports that “anti-progressive”, “instigating terrorism”, “sabotage” and “forcing government to waste resources” are how groups opposed to government’s proposed health regulations are characterised in internal emails floating around the Department of Health.
The emails were discovered during a court process initiated by public participation group DearSA, which received more than 300 000 comments from South Africans on proposed changes to health regulations that would arm the state with unprecedented powers to contain future outbreaks of ‘notifiable diseases’ such as Yellow Fever, Smallpox and Covid. Under the proposed regulations, the government plans to award itself vast powers to forcibly test for notifiable diseases, impose mask mandates and forcibly quarantine South Africans at the order of a doctor, nurse or law enforcement official. Of the more than 300,000 comments on these regulations received by DearSA, 95% were against them. Four groups are named as engaged in ‘sabotage, instigating chaos or terrorism against the state’, according to the discovered emails. The four groups named are purportedly AfriForum, DearSA, Liberty Fighters Network and Action 4 Freedom, all of which are involved in a legal battles with government over the health regulations. DearSA project manager Rob Hutchinson said the emails showed “a level of contempt for the public, and a complete disregard for the Constitutional obligation on government to foster public participation and listen to the views of the public”. Attorney Daniël Eloff, representing both DearSA and AfriForum, commented: “We believe it shows the state of mind of those making decisions within the department, and we think the public needs to be made aware of how they are viewed by those tasked with making regulations. It is pretty shocking, to say the least.” DearSA’s and AfriForum’s case against the interim Covid regulations will be in court on 25, 26 and 27 July.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ciaran Ryan at Moneyweb
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