Religious leaders have accused government of treating them unfairly by restricting the number of people who can attend gatherings.
In an angry engagement with Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance, they raised dissatisfaction that other sectors have been given financial relief while they have not received any.
Bishop Marothi Mashashane told the Committee that taxis are being allowed to operate at full capacity while churches are limited.
“Right now we are told the church is only supposed to have 50 people. But what about the casino? Because the church is only on Sunday for a maximum period of 2 hours. So why then should we look at church as if it’s a super-spreader? We are following all the scientific precautions but that does not convince the government to consult and even engage with us.”
South Africa has reported 11 767 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of infections to 1 786 079.
There have been 100 new COVID-19-related deaths, pushing the national death toll to 58 323.
Latest COVID-19 stats:
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On Tuesday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country is moving back to Alert Level 3 as the COVID-19 cases surge.
