As South Africa enters its third week of the national lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19), government has amended the disaster management regulations to begin a phased recovery of the economy, by allowing certain sectors to return to operation under strict conditions.

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Thursday announced that coal mines supplying State-owned power entity Eskom and refineries can continue to operate at full capacity to safeguard the continuous supply of energy and petroleum to the country.

Other mining operations can continue during the lockdown, at a reduced rate of 50% capacity, and can increase capacity as determined by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy.

However, the mining industry has been set strict conditions under which to work including a rigorous screening and testing programme for employees returning to work, submission of the data from the programme to the relevant authority, quarantine facilities for employees who test positive for Covid-19, transport for employees from their homes to their respective areas of work and workers from the Southern African Development Community will be recalled at the end of the lockdown to their respective countries.

PORTS, FUNERALS & MORE ESSENTIAL SERVICES

Government hopes to decongest the country's ports by allowing cargo to be moved from ports of entries to warehousing sites, with the exception of the transportation of liquor. However, alcohol used in the manufacturing of hand sanitisers may be transported.

Cargo may also be exported from ports of entry.

While the regulations for funerals remain the same – a permit must be produced and no more than 50 people must be in attendance – burials or cremations taking place within 24 hours and where a death certificate is not yet available will require that the person requesting the permit must make a sworn affidavit, with a letter from a cultural or religious leader confirming the cultural or religious practice in relation to the burial or cremation.

Hardware stores and vehicle component stores are now allowed to trade by selling essential goods as per the regulations, however, they are requested to keep a register of people buying essential goods and the buyer of the essential goods must now fill in a form declaring the purchase as essential.

“Hardware, components and supplies may be sold as required by any qualified tradespersons solely for the purpose of essential repairs at residential homes and entities engaged in the provision of essential services for any project related to the provision of water, electricity or other essential services. Components for vehicles under-going emergency repairs, where such vehicle is owned by or used by a person engaged in essential services work, may be traded” said Dlamini-Zuma.

Further, goods pertaining to babies and toddlers will be sold by retailers who are permitted to sell essential goods. These include clothing, blankets, towels, cots mattresses, teething rings, pacifiers, bibs, feeding bottles, and other non-consumable goods.

Spaza shops, informal fruit and vegetable sellers and langanas operating in the Western Cape and Northern Cape will be allowed to operate with written permission from the municipality.

“Provided that all valid permits for spaza shops and informal fruit and vegetable traders issued before or during the declared national state of disaster and which fall due during the said period, will remain valid for a period of one month after the end of the national state of disaster,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

Emergency repair trades will be allowed to operate including plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, glaziers, roof repair work and emergency automobile repairs for persons rendering essential services and for public transport vehicles.

SHARED CUSTODY AND EVICTIONS

Children may only be moved between parents in the case of a court order; an existing agreement or parenting plan, registered with the family advocate; or where the co-holder of parental responsibilities and rights is in possession of a birth certificate or certified copy of a birth certificate of the child or children to prove a legitimate relationship between the co-holders of parental responsibilities and rights.

“Provided that there is no person who is known or reasonably suspected to have come into contact with any other person known or reasonably suspected to have contracted COVID-19 in the household which the child has to move to. The parent or caregiver transporting the child concerned must have in his or her possession, the court order or the parental responsibilities and rights agreement or parenting plan,” said the amendments.

Dlamini-Zuma has warned against evictions during the lockdown and said they will not be allowed.

“I am confident that these amendments initiate and lay the foundation for the risk-adjusted measures the President announced last week, and in the coming days the proposals already made by various stakeholders will be considered in our planning for the enablement of the recovery of the economy,” said Dlamini-Zuma.