COVID-19 STATE OF DISASTER

• A ministerial directive gazetted on 23 April has confirmed that, subject to adherence to all related protocols:
  • school contact sport activities are now permitted
  • ‘inter-school, district, provincial and national school sports tournaments’ may resume
  • no spectators are allowed, and that
  • indoor and outdoor venues used for these activities may now accommodate 250 and 500 people respectively including ‘participants, referees, adjudicators, technical officials, volunteers, medical team, media or broadcasting team, and stadium workers’.

 

• On 30 April, the South African Social Security Agency issued a media statement confirming that:
  • no new applications for the special Covid-19 social relief of distress grant will be accepted
  • payments will be made to beneficiaries whose applications have already been approved, and that
  • anyone whose special grant application was declined during February and March may still appeal the decision.

JUSTICE

• Draft amendments to the Legal Practice Council election regulations have been released for public comment.

• The South African Law Reform Commission has called for written submissions on an issues paper exploring ‘the mechanisms through which national and provincial government departments involved in the welfare services sector manage their interdependence and co-operation’.

ENVIRONMENTAL

• Having been approved by Cabinet on 21 April, recommendations in a report on ‘policies, legislation and practices on matters of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros management, breeding, hunting, trade and handling’ will be implemented as outlined in a recent statement from Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy.

• A generic environmental management programme for gas transmission pipeline infrastructure development and expansion has been authorised.

SPORT

• The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has issued a media statement confirming the withdrawal of its Government Gazette notice stripping Cricket South Africa of national federation status.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby