The Supreme Court on Tuesday found the government’s lockdown regulations for risk level 3 and level 4 to be invalid and unconstitutional, but it will remain in effect for at least the next 14 days.
Risk level 3 regulations are therefore still in force. The rules on tobacco product sales are also not affected by the court order as they are subject to separate court cases.
In his ruling, Judge Norman Davis instructed Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, to review, amend and publish the regulations, in conjunction with the relevant ministers, taking into account the restriction that each regulation has the rights contained in the Bill of Rights.
The case was brought by Reyno David de Beer and the Liberty Fighters Network. Dlamini-Zuma was instructed to pay the costs of these two applicants.
Cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams said on Tuesday that the government took note of the ruling that the lockdown regulations of risk level 3 and level 4 were declared unconstitutional and invalid. “The Cabinet will issue a statement on this as soon as the ruling is fully studied,” she said.
