On the same day the State of Disaster was renewed yet again, the COGTA Parliamentary Committee was fighting to keep their lockdown powers.
COGTA voted against a motion that limit its near-exclusive right to instate the State of Disaster and how the lockdown laws are implemented. The Bill, which was rejected on Tuesday, asked the ANC to:
- Limit the power held by the executive in deciding the duration of our State of Disaster.
- Give Parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councils a say in whether lockdowns can be extended or not.
- Allow local governments ‘greater oversight’ in managing a State of Disaster at a local level.
COGTA representatives rejected the Bill with the claim that their regulation-power has been properly delegated and so the status quo should remain.
South Africa has now been subject to the department’s lockdown powers for the past two years. Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has the final say on approving amended regulations, and she is the last official to sign off on any declarations. However, her contentious policy decisions have led to her being branded an ‘irrational dictator’.
Sources: MSN, The World News
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Also read: State of Disaster extension ‘could be cut short’ by MAJOR legal challenge
