Although the ruling declaring government’s isolation regulations for risk level 3 and level 4 to be invalid and unconstitutional is welcomed, however, it brings further economic uncertainty in the country.
That’s how Raymond Parsons, an economist at Northwestern University, said in response to the ruling on Tuesday night.
According to Parsons, the ruling causes greater unpredictability in an already uncertain economic and public health environment. “The government needs to indicate what it is going to do next,” Parsons said.
The government said in a statement on Tuesday night that it was aware of the ruling.
According to government spokesman Phumla Williams, the court instructed the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to review and amend the current seclusion regulations in consultation with the ministers concerned.
“How well South Africa is doing after Covid-19 will be determined by how quickly the economy and society recover and how well the country’s exit strategy is managed,” Parsons said.
Meanwhile, the civil rights organization AfriForum has welcomed the verdict.
According to Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum, the regulations constitute an unjustifiable violation of people’s basic freedoms and the organization is ready to continue its legal actions to assist the tobacco, beauty and restaurant industry.
