Cape Town – The Western Cape government welcomed the directives issued on Thursday by Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel allowing goods – except those prohibited for sale – to be sold through e-commerce platforms across South Africa.
The province's finance and economic opportunities MEC, David Maynier, said “not only is this decision good for business, but it is also good for consumers, who can now safely buy what they want when they want it”.
South African online stores are permitted to sell any products besides alcohol and cigarettes under lockdown alert level 4, according to the new regulations.
The regulations were published after consultations with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
According to the Government Gazette, e-commerce was a critical enabler to opening the economy through contactless transactions.
“Since the announcement of the national government’s Covid-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy, we have called for the expansion of the e-commerce sector as it is undeniably one of the safest ways for our economy to open during the Covid-19 crisis,” said Maynier.
“That is why I wrote to Minister Patel on Friday, May 8 to specifically motivate for this regulatory change.”
Maynier said the e-commerce sector provided an online platform for businesses, especially small businesses, to access and compete in markets where they would ordinarily not have been able to trade.
Up to 30,000 small businesses made use of some of the larger e-commerce trading platforms to sell their products, according to Maynier.
“I will continue to engage with national government on behalf of other sectors of the economy which can open sooner under the various alert levels in a safe and responsible way.
"Opening up the e-commerce sector is a significant step towards the opening of the economy, which will allow us to save businesses, save jobs and save the economy in the Western Cape,” he said.