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National State of Disaster extended by another month
South Africa is currently on adjusted level 1 lockdown.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Picture: Gallo Images/Phill Magakoe
The national State of Disaster has been extended by another month yet again, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has confirmed.
The extension was published in the government gazette on Monday, and was granted “taking into account the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the disaster”.
ALSO READ: Dlamini-Zuma to oppose court bid to end national State of Disaster
The latest extension could see the State of Disaster ending on 15 April as government continues to finalise the new National Health Act regulations.
The country is currently on adjusted level 1 lockdown, with the latest changes implemented on 31 January.
As of 15 March, South Africa has been in lockdown for at least 718 days after President Cyril Ramaphosa first declared the State of Disaster in March 2020.
Legal action
Government has repeatedly been criticised for extending the State of Disaster without parliamentary oversight.
This resulted in AfriForum and DearSA filing papers at the Pretoria High Court last month in a bid to have the State of Disaster declared invalid.
According to DearSA, government will oppose the court bid after the civil rights organisation was notified about the move by Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma recently.
Dlamini-Zuma also informed business group, Sakeliga, via a letter that the State of Disaster would be ended when “adequate measures to deal with the effects of Covid-19 beyond the State of Disaster have been finalised”.
READ MORE: Parliament’s Cogta committee finalises Disaster Management Amendment Bill
The Department of Health is currently amending the National Health Act regulations so the country can move out of the State of Disaster.
The new health regulations will ensure there are enough protective measures to replace the Disaster Management Act, according to Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla.
The regulations will cover surveillance and control of notifiable diseases, public health measures at points of entry, management of human remains and environmental health.
Covid-19 fifth wave?
As government works on solutions to manage the Covid-19 pandemic outside of the State of Disaster, South Africa is likely to enter the fifth wave of infections in May or sooner, according to Phaahla.
Speaking on SABC News earlier this year, Phaahla said the fifth wave could be worsened by cold weather and the flu season.
“If there is no variant of serious concern very soon, we definitely would expect a wave somewhere around May, when winter starts. That’s when people start to congregate indoors because of the cold.
READ MORE: SA health experts call for face masks and other Covid restrictions to be dropped
“That’s also when flu season starts. We expect possibly the middle to end of May, that’s when we expect the next wave. It might come earlier, like we saw last year,” the minister said at the time.
South Africa currently has a total of 3,695,175 cases to date, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
No Covid related deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, with the total number currently standing at 99,725.
Just over 32 million vaccines having been administered across the country as of 14 March.
