The legal fight between President Cyril Ramaphosa and three prominent lawyers over the legality of his National coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) is far from over.
Advocates Nazeer Cassim, Vuyani Ngalwana and Erin Richards have written a letter to the president, asking him for clarification on the legality of the centralised power in the hands of a small number of ministers.
In the letter the trio reject Ramaphosa’s explanation, accusing him of avoiding accountability and reminding him of his constitutional obligations to act “with a high standard of professional ethics” and to “ensure transparent governance facilitated by access to information”.
In response to a letter from Ramaphosa’s office, Cassim and Richards on Friday reject the Presidency’s explanation of the legality of the NCCC accusing the president of authorising a letter which avoided the real issues.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Erin Richards says their problem with the NCC is that a small concentrated group of ministers were making primary governing decisions about the country.
“We were concerned on the very limit to the information available that nineteen ministers were pretty much running the country unchecked and that was the concern that we raised, obviously against very heavy factual legal backgrounds.”
Richards says they have not given up the fight.
“I can’t specifically answer the court question, but let me put it this way, we are done with letters.”
Richards says the tone of the reply from the Presidency was severe and unnecessary and possibly defamatory accusing her and Cassim of putting the lives of 60 million people in danger by asking questions.
Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News
Listen to the interview with Erin Richards
https://soundcloud.com/radioislam/advocate-erin-richards-speaks-about-the-legality-of-the-national-coronavirus-command-council
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