Traffic volumes in some major routes in the Eastern Cape have started to increase on Thursday.
Citizens are using this last opportunity to move to their place of work before the inter-provincial travel ban is implemented again.
Traffic officials together with SAPS officers will continue to patrol the country’s roads and ensure that road users adhere to lockdown regulations.
The video below is an update of traffic volumes in the Eastern Cape:
As the country moved from Level 5 to Level 4 lockdown, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, announced that people were permitted to return to their place of residence or province where they work from May 1 to May 7, 2020.
This includes people who were stuck in other provinces or areas when government introduced the national lockdown.
The Minister said people travelling across provinces during the seven day period would not be expected to produce any permits.
“The purpose of these directions is to regulate the once-off movement of persons who were not at their place of residence or work before the lockdown period and who could not travel between provinces, metropolitan and district areas during the lockdown, and are permitted in terms of regulation 16(5), on a once-off basis, to return to their places of residence or work,” explained Dlamini-Zuma.
In the video below, Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma outlines the Level 4 regulations:
Impact of inter-provincial movement restrictions
Frustration is mounting among many South Africans who are not able to relocate or move house because of lockdown regulations.
The real estate market and removal companies have also been affected.
The Department of Transport says people are not allowed to move house because it would put tenants and workers of removal companies at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Diane Clark wanted to move to a place where she would pay less rent. But, because of Thursday’s deadline, she’s unable to move to her cheaper property.
“My home is totally packed up … the premises that I secured for a lesser rental is currently standing empty. But I’m unable to move into that property. I had to pay rental and deposit for the month of May. But I’m now in a situation where I have to pay rental for the property that I’m currently occupying and it’s expensive,” she explains.
Meanwhile, conveyancing attorney Lisa Boniface says the national lockdown has negatively affected housing sales.
“Our sales have decreased significantly due to the lockdown period. We hope that with the deeds office and the rates office shifting into level four, we will be able to lodge some matters and register them at the deeds office around the country,” explains Boniface.
