Phaahla defends Covid-19 regulations amid complaints of govt overreach

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lifting of the national state of disaster in a national address on Monday evening, although some regulations will remain in place for the next 30 days.

The provisional regulations will remain in place to ensure a smooth handover to the new regulations under the National Health Act.

Phaahla, together with Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele and Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma, briefed the media on Tuesday to unpack the post-disaster management regulations.

The health minister stressed that the changes are amendments and not new laws.

“In terms of the overreach of the regulations, I want to dismiss that. We have no desire to have draconic powers. They say we want to micro-manage people, we are going to arrest people and force them to drink medication, but there is nothing like that.

“All that it says overall is that when there is a threat of notifiable medical conditions there will be times when, as an individual in the protection of the public, you can’t say when you are suspected of having Covid-19, when you have all the signs, you will be persuaded by the medical people. But if it reaches a stage whereby there is a real dangerous notifiable medical condition and you insist that you cannot be tested, then we can approach the court and the court can issue a medical order,” explained Phaahla.

At the same time, Dlamini-Zuma warned that the Covid-19 restrictions could make a comeback if the need arises.

“If the pandemic were to escalate and reach a level where it becomes a disaster, the Disaster Management Act can still be utilised. So, if we look after ourselves, wear masks, and make sure that we do what needs to be done, wash our hands and all that, we may avoid a situation where this pandemic becomes a disaster again. That's what we hoping for.”

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