The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed an application by a group of Muslim leaders and entities to declare certain parts of the lockdown regulations unconstitutional because it prohibits prayers, specifically the Muslim daily prayers, in places of worship.

The application was brought by Muhammed Bin Hassim Mohomed, Anas Mohammed Chotia and the As-Saadiqeen Islamic Centre.

Judge Brenda Neukircher said in her judgment that every citizen had been called upon to make sacrifices to their fundamental rights entrenched in the Constitution. She said this was done for the “the greater good”, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

She added that the government had put together a task team to consult extensively on the safety of citizens in order to flatten the curve and prevent the country’s health system from collapsing. 

“I cannot find that the restrictions imposed are either unreasonable or unjustifiable and thus the application must fail,” she said. 

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