Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday announced the extension of the National State of Disaster to April 15.

The country has been under the National State of Disaster for 24 consecutive months since it was declared in March 2020. The previous extension was set to end on March 15.

“In terms of Section 27(5)(c) of the Act, I hereby further extend the National State of Disaster that I extended to March 15, 2022 to April 15, 2022, taking into account the need to continue augmenting the existing legislation and contingency arrangements undertaken by organs of State to address the impact of the disaster,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

Political parties and ordinary South Africans have been calling for the National State of Disaster to be scrapped as the country is seeing lower Covid-19 infection rates and deaths.

However, Absa has said a fifth wave is predicted as early as next month.