Shopping for specific items in lockdown explained

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On Tuesday night the government published a new regulation expanding the list of clothing items we can now buy in level 4 of lockdown, including some bizarre items, such as “crop bottoms worn with boots and leggings”.

No open-toed shoes, not short-sleeved or sleeveless things unless they are worn underneath winter wear. 

The suggestions came from the retailers themselves, apparently, in the form of the National Clothing Retail Federation, comprising reps from TFG, Mr Price, Truworths, Woolworths, PnP Clothing, and Queenspark.

Makes sense, I couldn’t see Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel coming up with such a list.

And no, it’s not the Fashion Police, this is about what you can buy, not what you can wear. So no one is going to arrest you for wearing your slops, or daring to don crop bottoms without leggings and boots.

It does seem bizarre, but the restrictions are about function over style - needs versus wants. They want us to go shopping for essentials only - in this case, clothes to keep ourselves warm, as opposed to shopping as entertainment; as an outing, when they’d rather we stay at home instead.

The government has also made a move on moving - to a point.

The latest concession announced on Tuesday night is that you can move house until June 7, but the wording is too restrictive, says Eezi Move, the removals company which made it happen.

One of South Africa’s largest independent moving companies, Eezi Move, applied to the Pretoria High Court last week for an urgent interdict forcing the government to allow the removals industry to operate in level 4.

That led to company representatives  liaising with cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) department officials and by Thursday evening, the “concession” regulation was gazetted.

“It’s a huge relief for our company, our workers, the industry and for all those who desperately need to move,” said Eezi Move’s chief financial officer Pieter Townsend.

The regulations state that the concession applies to those who have signed a new lease or if their new home was transferred into their name before lockdown. 

But many of those desperate to move does not fit into those two categories - Does that mean they have to stay put?
No, Townsend says. “We discussed this with Cogta officials. “You just need to get documentary proof of why you are moving.”

The legal challenge - around the wording of the regulation, will go ahead tomorrow (Friday).

Certain requirements have to be met before embarking on a move. These are: Obtain a permit to travel across provincial, metropolitan or district boundaries from the station commander of a police station or a person designated by him or her.

The permit is Form 1 of the gazetted directions, available here.

It must indicate the persons who are part of the household who will be required to move.

- You must have in your possession the relevant lease agreement indicating the date of expiry of the old lease and the date of commencement of the new lease, the transfer documents attesting to the change in place of residence or change of ownership of property, or, says Eezi Move, other documents substantiating your reason for relocation, such as confirmation of a job offer, a letter from your landlord stating that you can no longer afford the rent, and a confirmatory letter from the person owning the property into which you will be moving.

READ: Clothing, fees, and selling and buying cars

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