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Proponents Nazeer Cassim and Erin Richardson said they wanted clarity on the powers of the coronavirus national command council.
From left to right: Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola, Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at a briefing on April 16, 2020. Image: GCIS.
JOHANNESBURG – Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko said the minutes of the coronavirus national command council meetings were classified as having the same powers and responsibilities as the Cabinet.
Diko spoke to SABC on Saturday responding to concerns from two lawyers about the agency’s role, questioning whether the decisions made by the council are legally binding.
She said the command council was accountable to Parliament.
Defenders Nazeer Cassim and Erin Richardson said they wanted clarity on the powers of the command council.
Diko said that, like the Cabinet, the agency is accountable to Parliament for its resolutions in response to COVID-19.
“We want to assure South Africans that it is not a structure shrouded in secrecy, but a coordination mechanism to ensure that so many opinions are contributed to the management of the disaster that we face.”
Among the decisions being questioned is the reversal of the sale and purchase of cigarettes.
But Diko said the procedures were confidential.
“Yes, the minutes of the command council would be classified. It is a cabinet coordination structure; his business is presented to the cabinet and his decision is ratified by the cabinet. The minutes of those coordination structures are still subject to the same documentation rules as the Cabinet itself. “
Diko said that all cabinet members sat on the command council and remain responsible for their individual and collective responsibilities before Parliament.
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