The pressure group that had the government’s seclusion regulations declared invalid and unconstitutional in June, is now asking in court documents that this ruling of Judge Norman Davis remain in force until the government’s application for appeal is heard.
Davis initially gave the minister ten days to amend some of the Level 3 regulations, following his decision in June that the regulations were unconstitutional. However, Dlamini-Zuma appealed to the Supreme Court against the ruling, which means that the regulations remain in force, pending the outcome of the appeal. However, Davis was in favor of the LFN for the second time, after which Dlamini-Zuma approached the appeal court in Bloemfontein for leave to appeal.
De Beer submitted court documents to the Pretoria High Court this week in which he argued that the minister was abusing the appeal process.
“The message that the respondent [Dlamini-Zuma] sends to the reasonable person is that this court has no power over a government that has violated the basic human rights of all our people since the beginning of the so-called total nationwide isolation,” reads the court documents
According to De Beer, the government is hiding behind the “cliché” of protecting lives. However, the LFN argues that lives and South Africans’ way of making a living are lost precisely because of the isolation regulations.
According to De Beer, the government is simply continuing to introduce unconstitutional segregation regulations. The court documents refer to the compulsory wearing of masks, the reinstatement of the ban on alcohol, as well as the continuing ban on tobacco products.
“The applicants now believe more than ever that the respondent, with respect, has no idea what she is doing.”
According to these court documents, the case is expected to be heard next Tuesday.
