The Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ebrahim Patel, has relaxed restrictions on a wide range of e-Commerce goods following South Africa&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/coronavirus/2020/05/13/covid-19-most-of-sa-to-move-to-level3lockdown-by-end-of-may/">President Cyril Ramaphosa&#8217;s comments</a> last night that certain changes to level 4 regulations will be made to expand permitted business activities in the retail and e-commerce space. For more details read Patel&#8217;s statement below&#8230;



Effective today, and subject to all applicable laws, all goods will be available for transaction through e-Commerce platforms with the exception of liquor and tobacco, which have been expressively prohibited for sale to the public during Alert Level 4. These products would be reconsidered in future when the Regulations permit their sale.



These <a href="http://www.thedtic.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/43321_14-5.pdf">gazetted directions</a> enable the sale of products through e-Commerce platforms and delivery-systems that are currently not available at retail outlets, including household appliances, electronic goods, furniture, books, music, gym products, the full range of clothing and footwear products, household utensils and others.



The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) has been working on a plan for e-Commerce to be safely rolled out since the Alert Level 4 regulations came into effect on 1 May. The key focus of the e-Commerce directions are on the health, safety and other protocols that need to be followed by retailers, delivery personnel and customers.



&#8220;We strongly believe in the value of e-Commerce as a critical enabler to opening the economy through contactless transactions. This can reduce the movement of consumers, and the density of shoppers in retail spaces. Further it can accelerate innovation, support local manufacturing and increase access by the informal market and poorer South Africans,” Minister Patel said today.



“We are in the middle of a global pandemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives across the world. Protecting the lives of workers and consumers is critical as we open up the economy. We have consulted with stakeholders to get the proper health and safety protocols in place which can allow the full e-Commerce supply chain to operate safely while mitigating the risk of it becoming a vector for transmission of the coronavirus,&#8221; said Minister Patel.



The directions outline the need for hygienic workplace conditions, social distancing, the wearing of masks, regular monitoring of workers’ health and the need for sanitisation, among other health protocols.



To limit the social and economic hardship caused by the pandemic on local industries and enable consumer choice to support local producers, the directions encourage retailers to give prominence to goods manufactured in South Africa.



The directions call on retailers to provide for as many payment options as possible for consumers, especially for low income earners, so that a greater number of South Africans can take advantage of online platforms.



The directions also recognise the opportunity for spaza shops and informal traders to leverage e-Commerce as a means of selling goods.



&#8220;e-Commerce has great potential as a safe retail platform during the pandemic. We need to work together with the sector to make digital platforms an avenue which can be used by a greater number of local manufacturers, retailers and consumers to transact. We have consulted with companies in e-Commerce who have committed to give prominence to South African-made goods on their sites. This is an important step in order to limit the social and economic hardship caused by the pandemic on local industries. We encourage all consumers to buy local and support the recovery of South African manufacturing during this global pandemic,” Minister Patel said.



“Beyond the pandemic, we are likely to see a shift from traditional retailing to e-Commerce platforms. We look forward to future engagement with the sector to address how to create more jobs in the sector and retrain workers displaced by the shift to e-Commerce and to ensure that there is space for local small businesses and youth-owned enterprises as suppliers of goods and providers of digital platforms and delivery services,” he said.

COVID-19: Investing for Roubini’s Greater Depression

SA relaxes restrictions on all e-Commerce goods except liquor & tobacco, these are the details…

South Africa on Friday entered <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Risk-Adjusted-Strategy-Regulations-29-April-2020.pdf">phase 4 of lockdown</a>, after being in phase 5 for 35 days. As part of phase 4, 1.5 million people will be allowed to return to work and there will be a one-off movement of people. Below is a statement from the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on how this process will work&#8230;



The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has in terms of section 27(2)(f) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002) and after consultation with relevant Cabinet members, issued directions in the schedule relating to the once off movement of persons in line with Regulation 16 (5), which provides that:



a) Any person who was not at their place of residence, or work before the lockdown period and who could not travel between provinces, metropolitan and district areas during the lockdown, will be permitted, on a once-off basis, to return to their places of residence or work and will be required to stay in such place until the end to the Alert Level 4”.



FOR MORE ON COVID-19 VISIT: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/">https://www.cnbcafrica.com/covid-19/</a> 



The purpose of these directions is to regulate the once-off movement of persons who were not at their place of residence or work before the lockdown period and who could not travel between provinces, metropolitan and district areas during the lockdown, and are permitted in terms of regulation 16(5), on a once-off basis, to return to their places of residence or work.



READ: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Risk-Adjusted-Strategy-Regulations-29-April-2020.pdf">This is how phase 4 will work in SA</a>



People who wish to make use of the provision in terms of regulation are permitted to do so during the period 1 May 2020 to 7 May 2020.



For this purpose, there will be no need for people to obtain and produce a permit in order to cross provincial, metropolitan or district boundaries.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The security structures will however put measures in place to ensure those who make use of the window will do so once-off, and one-way only.



Minister urges all South Africans to recognise the unprecedented crisis facing the country due to COVID-19 and to use the opportunity provided for once off travel responsibly by still adhering to the lockdown regulations.



The Minister has also urges South Africans to unite and work together to defeat this pandemic.



Link to the Directions: <a href="https://bit.ly/2ycONXW">https://bit.ly/2ycONXW</a>

SA’s auto industry ambitions threatened by COVID-19

COVID-19: How one-off movements will work in phase 4 of SA’s lockdown

South Africa&#8217;s Minister of Economic Development Ebrahim Patel said that the country could rapidly move to phase 3 of lockdown should it avoid a sharp increase in levels of infections as 1.5 million people prepare to return to work as the country <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Risk-Adjusted-Strategy-Regulations-29-April-2020.pdf">enters phase 4</a>. See the full statement below&#8230;



Parliament, Friday, 1 May 2020 – The Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, together with the Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business, Tourism, Employment and Labour today heard that should the country avoid a sharp increase in the levels of infections with the return to work of large numbers of workers and expanded testing and healthcare facilities, the economy could shift to level 3 as soon as possible. Minister Ebrahim Patel told the committees that the country does not need to stay at level 4, which commenced today, for a specific number of weeks but can move rapidly to a lower level should risks be mitigated. The committees heard that the initial return to work will be based on the national level, but will progressively be expanded to provincial and district level, enabling workplaces to adapt to the level of infections and healthcare readiness in localities. He emphasised that the Covid-19 pandemic will impact the South African economy in deep ways due to the closure of many companies during level 5. “Work is still underway to establish the extent of the impact. We are keen to restart as many economic areas as possible.” The committees heard that the department is taking responsible steps to deliberately reopen the economy in phases, with the safety of the South African people at the forefront of how that is done, in ways that allow livelihoods to be preserved – and protecting the productive assets of the nation and sustaining as much of the economy as it can, while protecting lives. The estimated impact on the economy varies at the moment, and will be driven by the trajectory of the virus both in South Africa and globally. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the gross domestic product (GDP) will fall by 5.8% in 2020. The South African Reserve Bank estimates that the GDP will fall by 6.1% in 2020. The Industrial Development Corporation estimates that the GDP will fall by 6.3% in 2020 The committees were informed that the Competition Commission received about 1 000 concerns and complaints. Many have already achieved closure on some cases where penalties were imposed or remedial action was taken. Some prosecutions are also pending. Furthermore, about 1 700 complaints were raised with the National Consumer Commission. The Minister said the department is trying to find a balance between due process and the right of the public to be heard. The committee heard that the R500 billion Covid-19 stimulus package that was announced by the President is not an elitist package as it includes the Unemployment Insurance Fund, which is an “absolute lifesaver” for low-level paid workers. The Committee Chairperson, Mr Duma Nkosi, said the committee commends the responsible and decisive manner in which the government is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. “We know that the lives of our people come first, and we will be guided by this principle. At the same time, we recognise the difficulty in the balancing act of keeping our people safe and reopening the economy, as these are interlinked.” ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR DUMA NKOSI.

level 4

SA relaxes restrictions on all e-Commerce goods except liquor & tobacco, these are the details…

COVID-19: How one-off movements will work in phase 4 of SA’s lockdown

SA’s economy can move rapidly to level 3 lockdown if no sharp increase in infections: Minister Ebrahim Patel

News Tips

Advertise With Us

level 4

SA relaxes restrictions on all e-Commerce goods except liquor & tobacco, these are the details…

COVID-19: How one-off movements will work in phase 4 of SA’s lockdown

SA’s economy can move rapidly to level 3 lockdown if no sharp increase in infections: Minister Ebrahim Patel

News Tips

Advertise With Us

Newsletters