DA to pursue personal care services court case despite ban being lifted

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it will continue to pursue its court case on the now-lifted personal care services ban until the regulations are published.

During his national address on Wednesday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that cinemas and theatres will be allowed to reopen, as well as casinos, hairdressers, and non-contact sports will be allowed to resume, as long as they adhere to “specific and stringent safety requirements”.

He said that restaurants, hotels and guest houses, and other hospitality services will also be able to resume business soon.

In a statement, DA MP Dean Macpherson welcomed the reopening of the personal care industry, but said the DA would still pursue its case.

“The truth is, President Ramaphosa has buckled under the pressure of our looming court case against the continued ban and criminalisation of the industry, which is to be heard on 22 June 2020 before a full bench of the Western Cape High Court,” he said.

Macpherson further said that the president knew full well that Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma would lose in court.

“In his patronising speech, Ramaphosa made the point that it was the amount of women working in the industry that really concerned him and forced him to act.

“How is it possible that it took the president and his ministers nearly two months to work this out, condemning these very same women to be treated as criminals just to keep a roof over their heads?

“Due to the recent history of President Ramaphosa being overturned by Minister Dlamini-Zuma on important issues like this, the DA will continue to pursue our court case until such time as the regulations for the personal care industry are published and a firm date is given for them to reopen,” he added.

The MP highlighted that Minister Dlamini-Zuma will still need to file her responding affidavits to the Western Cape High Court by the end of Thursday, 18 June 2020.

“We will not allow the minister to pull a fast one on South Africans again like she did with the tobacco ban,” he said.

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