Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko said minutes of the national coronavirus command council meetings were classified as it had the same powers and responsibilities as Cabinet.
Diko spoke to SABC on Saturday responding to concerns by two lawyers on the role of the body, questioning whether decisions taken by the council are legally binding.
She said the command council was accountable to Parliament.
Advocates Nazeer Cassim and Erin Richardson said they wanted clarity on the powers of the command council.
Diko said much like the Cabinet, the body accounts to Parliament for its resolutions responding to COVID-19.
“We want to reassure South Africans that this is not a structure shrouded in secrecy but a coordinating mechanism to ensure that as many views are brought into the management of the disaster we are facing.”
Among decisions being questioned is the reversal of the sale and purchase of cigarettes.
But Diko said proceedings were confidential.
“Yes, the minutes of the command council would be classified. It is a coordinating structure of Cabinet; its business is presented to Cabinet and its decision are ratified by Cabinet. The minutes of those coordinating structures are still subject to the same rules of documentation as Cabinet itself.”
Diko said all members of Cabinet sat in the command council and remain accountable in their individual and collective responsibilities to Parliament.
More Stories
Five VBS-linked Suspects Appear In Orkney Magistrate’s Court
Green Energy To Form Key Part Of SA-Germany Partnership
Umdloti Residents Protest Against Property Developers
Gunman Kills 19 Children, 2 Teachers At Texas Elementary School
NICD Reports 4 227 New COVID-19 Cases In SA
SANDF Will Be Hard-Pressed To Assist In Future Catastrophes In SA – Modise
Alleged Parliament Arsonist Zandile Mafe’s Bail Application To Be Heard Again
Golden Arrows Opts Not To Hike Bus Fares For Now
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Visits South Africa
Ramaphosa Urges Leaders To Bring Culture Of servant Leadership Into Politics
Saftu Leadership Race Heats Up
KZN Battered By More Rain