For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.

Making headlines: High court gives Dlamini-Zuma leave to appeal ruling on Covid-19 restrictions, 128 new Covid-19 deaths as confirmed cases soar to 151 209 and, World Bank to support infrastructure development in East and southern Africa

 

High court gives Dlamini-Zuma leave to appeal ruling on Covid-19 restrictions

The North Gauteng High Court has granted the government partial leave to appeal its earlier ruling last month striking down the country's much-criticised disaster regulations as irrational and unconstitutional.

Judge Norman Davis denied Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma leave to appeal those regulations that he singled out in his judgment in June, when he set aside most of the state's disaster regulations gazetted in response to the coronavirus health crisis.

He granted the minister leave to appeal the judgment in terms of regulations struck down in blanket fashion when he found that "in a substantial number of instances (the regulations) are not rationally connected to the objectives of slowing the rate of infection or limiting the spread thereof".

In his judgment, Davis gave Dlamini-Zuma 14 days to review the regulations in line with the rationality test.

 

128 new Covid-19 deaths as confirmed cases soar to 151 209

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Tuesday revealed that Covid-19 had claimed 128 people in the past 24 hours, with the majority of the deaths reported in the Western Cape bringing the total deaths to 2 657.

He said 52 people died in the Western Cape, 36 in Gauteng, 25 in the Eastern Cape, 11 in KwaZulu-Natal and four in Mpumalanga.

The number of recoveries is 73 543, which translates to a recovery rate of 48.6%.

 

World Bank to support infrastructure development in East and southern Africa

The World Bank has approved $425-million in International Development Association financing to support infrastructure projects in East and southern Africa in the power sector, transport, logistics and social sectors.

In a statement the bank said the regions suffered from ailing infrastructure, especially in the power sector, where effective generation was 20-30 % less than the installed capacity due to drought, lack of maintenance as well as general system losses of electricity in both transmission and distribution.

The bank's director of regional integration for sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa Deborah Wetzel said the Covid-19 pandemic threatens the development gains made over the past years.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter @polityZA