South African Court Declares Lockdown Rules Unconstitutional
- Judgment suspended for 14 days to allow state to amend rules
- Case brought to court by human-rights group Liberty Fighters
Commuters walk by social distancing markers on the ground at a bus station in Johannesburg, South Africa, on May 14.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A South African court ruled that revised lockdown regulations implemented by the government as part of a phased reopening of the economy are unconstitutional and invalid, giving the state two weeks to amend them.
The Gauteng Division of the High Court made the ruling earlier on Tuesday, Cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams said in an emailed statement. The decision applies to all regulations excluding the closing of South Africa’s borders and the shuttering of nightclubs and casinos, among others, court documents show.