Review of lockdown measures
Following the President’s proclamation of a national lockdown a number of measures aimed at giving practical effect to the lockdown were introduced in the form of Regulations and Directions. We had indicated at the commencement of the lockdown that these measures will be subjected to regular review as the country was traversing an unchartered territory with no precedent to learn from.
Indeed, through the processes of the National Command Council led by President Ramaphosa, we conducted a thorough review of the implementation of transport measures we put in place. The review was aimed at testing the efficacy of these measures and to make a determination on whether there was a need to revise these based on the experience on the ground. This review was also informed by the decision announced by the President to extend the lockdown by a further 2 weeks. As a consequence of that review exercise, we have identified a number of areas that require adjustment in order to achieve the lockdown objectives. We therefore continue to maintain the Regulations and Directions with the following amendments:
On 7 April 2020 we adjusted the Directions to permit export of wine alongside agricultural produce destined for exports markets. Post the implementation of this Direction concern was raised about the unintended consequences of allowing transportation of wines in the light of the fact that movement of alcohol remained prohibited. These include the criminality that has reared its ugly head in the form of burglaries and theft of alcohol from closed outlets. The movement of wines destined for export markets is one area we will review. In a nutshell, we are no longer allowing movement of wines.
The review process also led to the reversing 100% on loading capacity in minibus taxis and limit this to 70%. The risks posed by such an adjustment to loading capacity would have been impossible to manage.
In relation to movement of minibus taxis, our law enforcement counterparts flagged a critical challenge that once taxis complete their morning run between 5 to 10am, these taxis park at the rank resulting in a mass gathering of drivers at these ranks which is prohibited. These taxis should be parked at places where they ordinarily park overnight and drivers should return to their homes to avoid indirect gatherings. We will attend to this matter immediately and revise the relevant Directions.
At the beginning of the lockdown, movement of cargo on our roads, air and at sea was limited to essential cargo. We subsequently revised this to allow movement of all cargo. Now that all cargo is allowed to move, we have to be alive to the practical implications of this, particularly the domino effect on the value chain. The unintended consequence of this movement is that inbound cargo gets stuck at port, as some businesses that are required to enable the movement of this cargo to their final destination are not operational during the lockdown. Our ports of entry are not designed to function as warehouses for inbound cargo and this then creates a blockage at port. This matter will be address in a Direction that will be finalized in consultation with our Trade and Industry counterparts.
Enquiries:
Ayanda Allie Paine
Cell: 072 566 082
