By: Natasha Archary
Co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended the National State of Disaster to 15 April.
The extension has been published in the Government Gazette on Tuesday, 15 March as the deadline to end the state of disaster loomed.
Dlamini-Zuma said the decision for the month-long extension was because government needs time to develop further legislation to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.
The minister said the extension was made, “to take into account the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of state to address the impact of the state of disaster”.
This despite President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring that the extension of the National State of Disaster in February was the last one for the country.
There have been mounting calls for government to end the state of disaster, with Afriforum and Dear SA taking legal action.
The delays to end the state of disaster include reforming the terms of the Disaster Management Act.
Government will need to include public comment on the regulations which could take up to 3-months.
One of the factors will include the continuity of the R350 social relief grant and how government will manage this once the state of disaster ends.
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