South Africa's main opposition party challenges hairdresser ban

JOHANNESBURG: A South African court on Friday started hearing a challenge by the main opposition party against a government-imposed ban on personal care services to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) party on Monday filed a lawsuit in the Western Cape High Court to have the ban -- which prevents hairdressers, beauticians and tattoo artists from working -- declared "invalid and unconstitutional".

Most other businesses have been allowed to resume their activities since South Africa moved into level three of a strict five-tier lockdown at the start of June.

But personal care services such as hairdressing remained shut as they were deemed "high-risk" activities unable to ensure social distancing requirements.

"The reality is that the devastation from the continued economic lockdown will see more lives lost than the virus could ever harm," DA leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement on Thursday.

"Government must stop driving fear and empower people to work and protect themselves and their livelihoods."

South Africa has the continent's highest number of coronavirus cases, with more than 58,500 infections and at least 1,284 deaths recorded to date.

But the economic costs of the lockdown have stoked disagreement between political parties and the opposition has grown increasingly critical of the government's response to the outbreak.

Last month, the DA filed another legal challenge against some other coronavirus lockdown rules, including a ban on e-commerce and a night curfew.