Question NW1214 to the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
19 June 2020 - NW1214
Opperman, Ms G to ask the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
(1)What are the reasons that informed the decision to declare Covid-19 a national disaster instead of a provincial or local disaster; (2) what data was used to classify the disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act, Act 57 of 2002? NW1519E
Reply:
1. Section 23 (4) – (6) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2020), provides for the classification of either a local, provincial or national disaster. Section 23 (6) states that “ a disaster is a national disaster if it affects
(a) More than one province, or
(b) A single province which is unable to deal with effectively.
By the time it was classified as a national disaster there were already cases in three provinces.
The WHO provided information regarding the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world.
Our National Department of Health provided information on the rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout South Africa. The first SA case was identified on the 5th of March 2020 infection numbers were doubling two to three days had spread across SA including KZN, Gauteng and Western Cape. On the 15 March 2020 when the National Disaster was classified and declared there already 61 cases.
Thank you