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Calls for urgent directives on essential services permits for self-employed and informal traders

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Dear MyPE

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will write to Minister of Small Business Development, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, to request that she immediately publish a directive in the Government Gazette on how businesses which are not registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) can apply for an official essential services permit during stage 4 of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Since the start of the lockdown, self-employed individuals (sole proprietors) and informal traders, predominantly micro-enterprises, have been left in the dark with little to no information and assistance from the Minister or her Department on the procedure on how to acquire an official permit to trade during this lockdown period.

The DA has received numerous complaints from these business owners who have faced harassment at the hands of law enforcement officials who demand that they produce official permits and have threatened to close them down. The intimidation of sole proprietors and informal traders by the hands of law enforcement is disturbing and the Minister needs to intervene immediately to protect this vulnerable sector.

We have also received complaints that the bizportal.gov.za platform only allows for those businesses that have a registered enterprise number to register on the system, which only fuels the desperation and frustrations in this sector as they struggle to get clear answers from Government as to how they can get assistance.

The DA will therefore also propose to Minister Ntshavheni, that those who are self-employed, informal traders and micro enterprises are allowed to use the identity numbers of their owners to register on the bizportal.gov.za platform.

With an estimate of 3 million informal traders in South Africa, Government has to go the extra mile to ensure that these individuals are protected as their businesses are essential to their livelihoods.

Many of these business owners live from hand to mouth and need to start trading; however, with no guidelines from the Department, it makes it difficult for law-abiding citizens, to comply.

The DA will not allow for this sector to be oppressed by unnecessary bureaucratic burdens when a solution is apparent. We will fight for every small business to survive through these uncertain times of Covid-19

Regards

Henro Kruger MP
DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Small Business Development

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