South Africans who need to cross provincial borders in order to get home have one week to do so.
According to Lungi Mtshali, spokesperson for the Department Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), this will be allowed from May 1 to May 7.
This announcement brings great relief to thousands of South Africans who have been stranded in other provinces since lockdown regulations dated April 25 banned interprovincial travel.
The Minister of CoGTA, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has issued directions providing that:
- Anyone who was not at home when the lockdown started, and could not go home yet, may return home on a once-off basis.
- Anyone who has to work in another province than the one where they are at the moment may go to their place of work on a once-off basis,
- These persons will have to stay in the area they are travelling to until level 4 of the lockdown has ended.
Those who were unable to cross-district or regional boundaries may also travel as the bullet points above set out.
“For this purpose, there will be no need for people to obtain and produce a permit in order to cross-provincial, metropolitan or district boundaries,” said Dlamini Zuma.
The minister urged all South Africans to recognise the unprecedented crisis facing the country due to Covid-19 and to use the opportunity provided for once-off travel responsibly by still adhering to the lockdown regulations.
