Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosasana Dlamini-Zuma says spaza shops should have always been open and there’s no reason for them to have been closed.

Ministers representing the coronavirus national command council are updating the nation on the revised lockdown regulations this evening.

Currently, the country has 1,462 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with five deaths and 31 recoveries.

Dlamini Zuma says regulations will keep changing as the 21-day-lockdown goes on.

She says some regulations will be tightened while others will be relaxed.

“All spaza shops should be open including, now we’ve included informal food traders. So those that are trading in food, informally, they are also allowed, but they must just get a permit from their councilor or from their municipality and they are free to trade.”

Dlamini Zuma also says the prohibition of more than 50 people at a funeral and that of no night vigils were still applicable.

Faizel Patel

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)