Home

FF Plus prepares Bill to amend Disaster Management Act

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Freedom Front Plus says it’s in the process of preparing a Private Members Bill to amend the Disaster Management Act.

FF Plus Leader Pieter Groenewald says the best solution to curbing the unending month-to-month extension is to amend the Act.

Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended the national state of disaster by another month – ending on September the 15th.

The Act empowers her to make an extension once the first 90-day period has expired.

It’s just over five months since the coronavirus was declared a national disaster.

Groenewald says making extensions without Parliamentary oversight undermines democracy.

“The Freedom Front Plus has a problem with this because in practice we are almost in the same situation as in a state of emergency. If we were in a state of emergency according to the Constitution then she would have had to go to Parliament and get an approval of at least 60% of the National Assembly to extend this period. Therefore we say there is no accountability towards Parliament, which is wrong and the Freedom Front Plus is in the process of amending the National Disaster Act by means of a Private Members Bill”.

Author

MOST READ