Cape Town – Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says new proposed Covid-19 regulations are set to be gazetted, and the government is moving “towards the end of the National State of Disaster”.
Dlamini-Zuma said this on Tuesday while addressing the media.
She said that the proposed new regulations were set to be gazetted on Tuesday evening and the public will have 48 hours to comment.
“So, we will publish these regulations for comment for 48 hours and then we will analyse what they are saying and then the president will announce the end of the national state of disaster, which will be before 15 April, based on the comments [but] it might be around 5 April,” EWN quoted Dlamini-Zuma as saying.
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In his address to the nation last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa indicated that Cabinet intended to lift the National State of Disaster that came into effect two years ago.
“We intend to lift the national state of disaster as soon as public comment on the regulations published by the minister of health have been completed.
“These regulations when finalised, will replace the state of disaster as the legal instrument that we use to manage the pandemic,” Ramaphosa said.
South Africa has been under a state of disaster since the country recorded its first Covid case in March 2020.
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Dlamini-Zuma said that although the pandemic was not yet over, it was the desire of government for the country to return to normality, but in a manner that recognised the changing nature of the pandemic, News24 reported.
She said that the regulations will include, among other things, the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, which will remain in place.
“We also know that there are certain things that were introduced through the Disaster Management Act, which need to continue for some time… like the payment of the R350. We will continue, but it will be removed from the national disaster after 30 days has lapsed, and we will continue through other means,” the report quoted her as saying.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
