AfriForum demands Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s resignation

The civil rights organisation AfriForum demands that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, resigns from her post. This follows after the Minister and her Department have been embarrassed in court time and again over the past couple of weeks due to the irrational and unjustifiable manner in which the lockdown is being handled.

The North Gauteng High Court this week amongst other things found that government’s regulations with regard to the lockdown are paternalistic, irrational and constitutionally unjustifiable. Furthermore, the nature of the regulations that have been promulgated under Dlamini-Zuma’s supervision has created a big legitimacy crisis for government. The way in which the South African government is regulating the lockdown is furthermore being mocked in and outside of the country.

Ernst Roets, Head of Policy and Action at AfriForum, says that Dlamini-Zuma is not the only guilty party in government, but that the regulations promulgated by her department are particularly reckless. “The Minister’s don’t care attitude towards the regulations and objections that they are irrational, is part of the problem,” says Roets.

Roets also refers to allegations about Dlamini-Zuma’s connections to the underworld where tobacco is being smuggled unlawfully, as well as the fact that various respected scientists have described the regulations as nonsensical and unscientific. “Government simply does not heed the advice of the relevant experts, and continue with even further irrational regulations.

Roets further refers to research that has been done by some of the country’s most respected economists that the lockdown would lead to more loss of life due to poverty and malnutrition than the amount of lives that would be spared in the process.

“It however seems that government – and Dlamini-Zuma particularly – simply do not heed scientific advice and are plodding along with irrational and inconsequent behaviour, at the cost of society as a whole.”

Statement issued by Ernst Roets, Head: Policy and Action, AfriForum, 5 June 2020