Registration for Essential Services

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https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-ebrahim-patel-announces-essential-service-application-portal-25-mar-2020-0000

We draw your attention to the announcement made by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ebrahim Patel, that all businesses that will be allowed to provide essential services are required to seek approval from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)  in order for them to trade during the period of the lockdown in terms of the regulations published today by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Ms Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in Regulation Gazette No. 11062

Such businesses are required to apply to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) Bizportal website at www.bizportal.gov.za and obtain a certificate from the Commission that allows them to continue trading. The Bizportal website will contain a menu icon listed as “Essential Service Businesses” through which an application can be made to the CIPC.

“Essential services”  as defined in the final regulations for South Africa’s Coronavirus lockdown published on 25^th March 2020 include the existing essential services as defined in terms of the Labour Relations Act, 1995, as well as:

• Medical, health, laboratory and medical services;
• Disaster management, fire prevention, firefighting and emergency services;
• Financial services necessary to maintain the functioning of the banking and payments environment, including the JSE and similar exchanges, as well as insurance services;
• Production and sale of essential goods;
• Grocery stores, including spaza shops;
• Electricity, water, gas and fuel production, supply and maintenance;
• Essential municipal services;
• Care services and social relief of distress provided to older persons, the mentally ill, persons with disabilities, the sick, and children;
• Funeral services, including mortuaries;
• Wildlife management, anti-poaching, animal care and veterinary services;
• Newspaper, broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructure and services;
• Production and sale of any chemicals, hygiene products, and pharmaceuticals for the medical or retail sector;
• Cleaning, sanitation, sewerage, waste and refuse removal services;
• Services related to the essential functioning of courts, judicial officers, the Master of the High Court, sheriffs and legal practitioners required for those services;
• Essential SARS services defined by the Commissioner of SARS;
• Police, peace officers, traffic officers, military medical personnel and soldiers, correctional services officials and traffic management services;
• Postal services and courier services related to the transport of medical products;
• Private security services;
• Gold, gold refinery, coal and essential mining;
• Accommodation used for persons rendering essential services, quarantine, isolation and the lockdown;
• Production, manufacturing, supply, logistics, transport, delivery, critical maintenance and repair in relation to the rendering of essential services including components and equipment;
• Transport services for persons rendering essential services and goods, and transportation of patients; and
• Transport and logistics in respect of essential goods as set out in A above to neighbouring countries.

For further details of this and other Covid-19 information,
please see our dedicated website page on

https://www.mdacc.co.za/index.php/covid-19/