[ad_1]
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to convene a special cabinet meeting at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, which is expected to review the terms of reference of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and consider the legal action it faces.
The cabinet meeting comes after the NCCC held a six-hour marathon meeting on Sunday about the government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak.
News24 was reliably informed that Ramaphosa ordered that the decisions related to the alerts and the reduction of the blockade should be approved by the Cabinet after it has been deliberated in the NCCC.
NCCC constitutionality
The constitutionality of the NCCC has been questioned by lawyers and opposition parties alike, with demands for access to minutes of how decisions are made by the NCCC.
The Presidency previously defended the NCCC as a cabinet structure, but questions have been raised about its authority to make decisions.
Tuesday’s cabinet meeting will now seal the decisions made on Sunday.
READ | President of the Medical Schemes Council dies of complications from Covid-19
Cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams said: “We have a scheduled cabinet meeting today and will advise on communication thereafter.”
Experts with knowledge of the NCCC meeting said Sunday’s meeting deliberated that there should be no “one-size-fits-all” approach to facilitate closure, which is currently at Level 4.
READ | End the blockade now or the South Africans will end it for you – Steenhuisen to Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa ordered that data from each of the country’s 44 districts be analyzed so that decisions are made by district.
Two people with knowledge of the meeting described how the NCCC faced the challenge that the worsening coronavirus infection rates in the country were having in their economic centers.
This meant that efforts to revive the economy would be hampered by the rampant spread of Covid-19 in the country’s subways.
Other districts, the meeting said, could jump directly to Level 2 closure because the evaluation and testing showed zero cases in some districts over several days.
The cabinet meeting comes as there are growing calls for Ramaphosa to address the public 47 days after the shutdown was imposed.
Level 4 of the blockade, which has allowed certain economic activity with strict restrictions, has been in force for 12 days.
Please stay home
The Cosatu union has also asked Ramaphosa to address the public about the work the government is doing in its efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Cosatu general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said Ramaphosa should digest all public calls and update the nation accordingly.
“The president must balance all of those issues with what people say the blockade is destroying the economy. It should not be a long story. Even if he makes a plea that people should still stay home,” he said.
[ad_2]
