JOHANNESBURG – Outgoing African National Congress (ANC) NEC member David Mahlobo says the ANC will only discuss the draft regulations for a state of emergency once they have been finalised.

Reports surfaced last week that the president had instructed the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to draft the regulations.

“We wanted to have clear regulation of how it should be dealt with. Remember, the Constitution says for the head of state to declare a state of emergency there are clear provisions that are there," Mahlobo said.

"All the tenets must be supported by additional legislation or a regulation. Let’s just wait for it to come so that we can see the content of the draft regulation and see if they are aligned to the Constitution or not.”

The Rapport newspaper claims the draft gives security officers permission to cut all communication channels, including internet access, during a state of emergency.

It also reportedly authorises them to carry out searches and arrests without a warrant.