Lockdown regulations are paternalistic in nature: Mandela Foundation

The Nelson Mandela Foundation says many of the national lockdown regulations are paternalistic in nature and lack justification.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and lobby group Afriforum have announced intentions to file court papers over a number of issues including forcing government to lift the lockdown entirely to allow full economic activity to start.

The foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Sello Hatang says people’s dignity must be preserved during the enforcement of the lockdown.

He adds that the details of some rules such as those in the regulations for the sale of clothing defeat the purpose of the task at hand. Hatang says, “Where does the government get involved in how I can wear a t-shirt? We need to just remember the target, what is the end goal? The end goal is to control the disease, not to control people. And if we remember that we can go and tell clothing stores for example that you can sell the clothes but ensure that there are no crowds inside the shops. You must limit the numbers so that the disease doesn’t spread further.”

The foundation has commended President Cyril Ramaphosa for acknowledging that government has made mistakes in its enforcement of the lockdown. It says it also welcomes the announcement of a possible shift to alert Level-3 lockdown in parts of the country.

In the video below, AfriForum says government has lost focus in the fight against COVID-19:

In the video below, RKP Attorneys’ Rehana Khan Parker discusses the decision by DA and FF+ to file papers at the Gauteng High Court to challenge the constitutionality of government’s Disaster Management Act:

NEDLAC meeting

President Ramaphosa will on Friday chair a virtual meeting of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) that will discuss the prospect of moving most of South Africa to COVID-19 Alert Level 3.

In his address to the nation on Wednesday, the President indicated that the country could implement level 3 before the end of the month. However, he said some badly affected areas may still require stricter levels of lockdown.

Ramaphosa also acknowledged the heavy toll that the coronavirus lockdown is having on the lives of ordinary South Africans, emphasising that the lockdown was necessary to prevent an even larger number of infections and deaths.

The meeting which will include government, labour, community and business constituencies will be the start of widespread consultation between government and various sectors of society and the economy on the more extensive reopening of the economy and the lifting of restrictions on movement.

INFOGRAPHIC: SA’s COVID-19 cases: