Govt to impose curfew as business counts the cost

The country will be subject to an unprecedented curfew from 20:00 to 05:00 if the government’s draft proposals regulating business and society under new risk levels are finalised next week.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel announced wide-ranging draft proposals on Saturday, which included details on the reopening of some industries and movement of people as well as a continued restriction on the sale of alcohol.

The draft proposals are now open for public comment, with the final regulations set to be announced on Thursday. The current lockdown ends next Friday, with Level 4 restrictions set to take effect on the same day.

But in the background, different role players are furiously lobbying the government to mitigate against further damage to the economy, with different industries citing continued losses doing enormous damage to various sectors, while fears about how the curfew will be implemented are also being expressed.

– Various business sectors will in the next 24 hours make representations to the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure the maximum level of economic activity can go ahead.

– Some of the biggest national sports codes – including rugby and cricket – are considering their options after the announcement no organised sport will be permitted, with an incoming cricket tour by India, which could net the sport’s authorities millions of rand in revenue, now in doubt.

– Two experts of constitutional law questioned the legality of the curfew, while John Steenhuisen, the DA’s interim leader and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, has rejected it.

The hard lockdown will conclude on Friday, but Dlamini-Zuma warned South Africa could quickly be returned to a Level 5 lockdown (the hard lockdown) if the public did not comply with the regulations.

“We’ll be looking at data on a weekly basis,” she said.

But the basic rules in place are unlikely to change: movement is restricted unless it is absolutely necessary; physical distancing, sanitation, hygiene and the use of appropriate protective equipment are still essential. Covering the mouth and face will be mandatory from 1 May, ideally through wearing cloth face masks.

Policing the curfew

Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo told News24 they were sufficiently resourced to police the new curfew.

He said the police were already working together with other security services such as the SA National Defence Force as well as the metro and traffic police departments.

Picture of Aneeqa Du Plessis
Aneeqa Du Plessis

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