South Africa has extended the National State of Disaster to 15 March, with Cabinet announcing that this will be the last time it will do so after President Cyril Ramaphosa last week announced plans to end the emergency which was imposed two years ago.
In a statement on Sunday, the cabinet said the extension was agreed at its last meeting on February 9.
“Cabinet was apprised on the work that has been undertaken through the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure to determine the extent to which the management of the Covid-19 pandemic still required the existence of the National State of Disaster,” it said.
It added: “After noting that some of the key departments dealing with Covid-19 had not yet concluded their analysis, cabinet approved the final extension of the National State of Disaster to 15 March 2022.”
The statement came days after Ramaphosa told the nation that the state of disaster would end soon.
The president made the announcement when he addressed a joint sitting of parliament in Cape Town on February 10.
