The Democratic Alliance (DA) is expected to file court papers on Thursday to challenge the rationality of the night curfew, the ban on e-commerce and the restriction on exercise hours under the regulations.

DA interim leader, John Steenhuisen, says that these restrictions are in place due to the lack of oversight on the decisions taken by the National Command Council during the State of Disaster.

The DA is calling for an immediate easing of the national lockdown, saying it will force government to take the hard decisions that this entails via the courts.

“It is our opinion that is shared by many South Africans that all three of these decisions should be immediately reversed as there are no rational justifications for a military-enforced curfew, a restriction on e-commerce business and a limited three-hour window for exercise. But it must also be said that these irrational decisions are taken by the National Command Council because they are acting with no checks and balances. The State of Disaster which we are currently under is governed by the Disaster Management Act, and it makes zero provision for Parliamentary oversight which means that the secretive National Command Council actually answers to no one”, says Steenhuisen.

Political parties at loggerheads over Level 4 lockdown

The display of unity among opposition parties when the lockdown was initially announced is fast dissipating. Just two weeks into Level 4, parties are openly at loggerheads with each other and the National Command Council.

Some want the lockdown fully suspended, while others are calling for a return to the more stringent Level 5.

A deepening economic crisis and a growing death toll are two realities behind the division among political leaders.

Source: SABC News