Global Citizen
Flash Briefing: State of disaster extended for 18th time; ANC and EFF sidelined from coalition talks; Gauteng water shutdown
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended South Africa’s national state of disaster by a further month.
- Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has extended South Africa's national state of disaster by a further month. The state of disaster is now set to expire on 15 December 2021. This would make it the 21st month under the state of disaster since it was declared at the end of March 2020, and the 18th extension of the regulations after their first end date of June 2020. The government has relied on the regulations to introduce and give effect to lockdown restrictions, which it has used to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, it has also faced criticism for giving national government wide-ranging powers over the lives of citizens, with few limits and little to no oversight from parliament. The latest extension comes despite the significant decline in new cases, with only 262 reported in SA on Sunday. The government will rely on the ongoing state of disaster to reintroduce lockdown restrictions at short notice if need be.
- Leaders from South Africa's smaller political parties are meeting today to discuss coalitions – however, the ANC and EFF have been sidelined from the talks and won't be approached. ActionSA, the DA, and many smaller parties like the Freedom Front Plus, ACDP, UDM and Gayton McKenzie's Patriotic Alliance are all meeting, hoping to decide the future of the many hung councils in the country following the elections, including major metros. Councils will start meeting this week to form local governments. They have 14 days from the declaration of election results to hold their first council sittings – with the deadline set for this week Thursday.
- Some Gauteng residents will be hit with a 54-hour shutdown of water starting Monday. Residents in the City of Johannesburg, Randburg, Soweto, Rand West, Mogale City, Merafong, Rustenburg, Madibeng, and Emfuleni will be affected. The bulk supplier will be installing a new pipe that will increase the amount of water drawn from the Vaal River into a treatment plant to increase supply to local municipalities. The work is expected to be finalised by Wednesday.