ActionSA to Explore All Options as State of Disaster Extending Again

15 March 2022                 

ActionSA will begin exploring all possible avenues to challenge this latest extension of the State of Disaster until 15 April 2022. This follows the latest extension gazetted by Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma today.

This extension takes place against the President announcing plans to withdraw the State of Disaster and calls by medical experts to follow countries around the world in relaxing regulations.

At the end of this month South Africans will have lived under this State of Disaster for 24 months. During this time, we have had to live under unnecessary and irrational limitations of personal freedoms because of the vast sweeping powers a State of Disaster affords to a cabinet which has proven over many years that it should not be trusted with such powers.

With these powers, and beyond the sensible steps followed to protect people, South Africans were not allowed to travel between provinces, procurement regulations were relaxed for the looting of Covid funds, we were told what we could eat or drink, curfews were imposed limiting the movement of people and businesses ad many South Africans faced economic ruin.

South Africans have, with few exceptions, incurred more limitations of our freedoms than other countries in the world and certainly for the longest time. While other countries in the world have long begin opening their spaces and returning to ordinary life, our cabinet appears to cling to the powers afforded to it under the State of Disaster.

ActionSA will begin exploring all possible avenues of challenging this decision because of what we fear will become a pattern of extensions that will continue. This may include legal action and exploring collaboration with like-minded political parties to ensure the freedoms of South Africans is restored.

There is no doubt that South Africans, like people all over the world, had to endure some limitations in the height of the pandemic to safeguard lives but we are past this point.

Freedoms are sacrosanct in South Africa, and they cannot continue being limited needlessly by any government that has proven as corrupt, as callous about economic suffering and as contemptuous of the South African people as this one has.

Issued by Herman Mashaba, President, ActionSA, 15 March 2022