The minister said spaza shops and informal traders were also given the green light to do business.
“We have learnt a few lessons from the past week of the shutdown. We have realised that spaza shops were supposed to be open, but for some reasons some were made to close. We are clarifying that all spaza shops should be opened. We have included informal food traders.”
On Wednesday, transport minister Fikile Mbalula addressed taxi association Santaco at Noord taxi rank in Johannesburg. He announced that taxis can carry 70% of their passenger capacity, an increase from the 50% he announced at the beginning of the lockdown.
Twitter has since been flooded with responses, with many worried that the relaxation of the rules would put the lives of South Africans at risk.
Others have called for the lockdown to be cancelled if some businesses are allowed to operate while others remain closed.
Here's some of the reactions:
'Our lives are in danger' — some lockdown rules have been relaxed but not everyone's impressed
Image: Sunday Times/Alon Skuy
Amended regulations to the 21-day lockdown have seen a strong reaction on social media.
Minister of co-operative governance & traditional affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Thursday that the National Command Council (NCC) had resolved to ease the rules relating to funerals, by allowing close family members, children of the deceased and close allies to travel between provinces and metros, to attend burials.
Night vigils remain banned for the duration of the lockdown.
Individuals must produce a death certificate as proof and can obtain a permit from a magistrate's court or their nearest police station manager if they want to travel to attend a funeral.
The minister said spaza shops and informal traders were also given the green light to do business.
“We have learnt a few lessons from the past week of the shutdown. We have realised that spaza shops were supposed to be open, but for some reasons some were made to close. We are clarifying that all spaza shops should be opened. We have included informal food traders.”
On Wednesday, transport minister Fikile Mbalula addressed taxi association Santaco at Noord taxi rank in Johannesburg. He announced that taxis can carry 70% of their passenger capacity, an increase from the 50% he announced at the beginning of the lockdown.
Twitter has since been flooded with responses, with many worried that the relaxation of the rules would put the lives of South Africans at risk.
Others have called for the lockdown to be cancelled if some businesses are allowed to operate while others remain closed.
Here's some of the reactions:
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