'These beaches will be the end of us!' - Mzansi responds to court ruling against AfriForum

Many on social media have welcomed the North Gauteng High Court's ruling against lobby group AfriForum's request to have the Covid-19 regulations regarding beach closures declared unconstitutional.

The group submitted the motion after President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent announcement that beaches in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route would be closed from December 16 to January 3. Ramaphosa said this would help arrest the spread of Covid-19 as SA is experiencing a second wave of infections.

Ramaphosa also said beaches in KwaZulu-Natal would be closed on peak days - December 16, 25, 26 and 31 and from January 1-3. 

After lodging its court papers last week, AfriForum said the move to close beaches was unconstitutional and discriminatory. The group said the restrictions on access to beaches amounted to the restriction of basic human rights.

On Wednesday, the group said it was disappointed at the outcome, and encouraged the public to support local businesses during the festive season.

The Western Cape continues to report increases in infections, along with KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Health minister Zweli Mkhize warned on Wednesday that the government may have to enforce stricter restrictions to curb further spread of the virus.

The Western Cape has a total of 184,091 cases and the cumulative number of cases in SA is 954,258.

On social media, many said the court ruling would help prevent the spread of the virus. Here are some of the reactions: