“This webinar reviews the imposition of a “hard” lockdown on 26 March 2020 by the South African government. The “hard” lockdown imposed unprecedented restrictions on rights and freedoms. Such restrictions must be justified in order to be constitutional. What are the constitutional requirements for the balancing of competing rights and for the limitation of rights?

The hard lockdown had serious health impacts on the population at large. When considering the appropriateness and constitutionality of lockdown policies, broader health issues, including mental health and public health impacts, must also form part of the balancing equation, as must questions of medical ethics. To what extent was sufficient cognisance taken of these? How might divergent public health goals be balanced in future?”