On Monday evening, urged on by President Mokgweetsi Masisi, parliament voted in unanimous numbers (41 – 16) to extend the State of Public Emergency (SOPE) by a further six months.
Originally due to be lifted on 2 October, SOPE will now run until 3 April 2021, meaning Masisi will effectively have had unlimited powers for exactly a year.
In pushing for the extension, the President pointed out that SOPE was vital in containing the rapid spread of Coronavirus, which as he spoke stood at 1, 242 active cases with 16 deaths.
“SOPE allowed the government to put in place the communication mech...
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