DA heading to court in bid to end state of disaster ‘once and for all’

The party leader John Steenhuisen briefed the media on Thursday on the plans to end the two-year-long lockdown.

This comes after the government announced on Tuesday that the state of disaster would be extended for another month until April 15.

Lobby group Afriforum has already filed papers in court to challenge the government’s decision.

Steenhuisen says there is no need for the state of disaster and the lockdown to remain in place.

“The Democratic Alliance will not allow the state of disaster to be glibly extended, month after month. We will stop it in court. We will not allow our democracy to be suspended indefinitely in favour of rule by decree, with no democratic checks and balances.

“I have today instructed our attorneys to bring an urgent court challenge to Tuesday’s irrational and unreasonable extension of the state of disaster. But it’s not enough just to end the state of disaster. The lockdown itself must end. It can’t just become permanent legislation, as the government is trying to do.”

He says science has proven that the lockdown is no longer necessary.

“The science now tells us that the lockdown is unnecessary, irrational and unreasonable. Yet the government is intent on keeping the state of disaster and the lockdown. When the president proudly states that his government's Covid response is guided by science, he should be honest and admit that this is only true when it enables more sweeping, unchecked powers.

“Because when the science points in the other direction - as it is very clearly doing now - his government pretends not to see or hear it.”

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