Trade & Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel is under pressure to explain to Parliament the rationale behind restricting e-commerce at a time when many countries are embracing online platforms as part of measures to restrict movement of people to curb the spread of the coronavirus, says a Business Day report.

Last week, Patel said the government could not allow unfettered e-commerce as this would be unfair on other traders such as spaza shops.

Under the level four lockdown regulations, Patel said e-commerce will be expanded incrementally. At present he has allowed the sale of essential food items, winter clothing, bedding, hot foods, stationery and cellphones.

However, logistics and e-commerce businesses are pushing for the government to fully open up home deliveries, saying such a move would actually aid the fight against the pandemic.

Retailers have said lifting restrictions on products that can be sold online would encourage customers to stay at home while saving retail workers’ jobs.

Yesterday, DA MP Dean Macpherson said he had written to the National Assembly’s Trade & Industry chair, Duma Nkosi, to invite Patel to justify the e-commerce restrictions.

‘To date, no logical rationale has been provided to South Africans and businesses by the Minister,’ Macpherson said.

Instead, the MPs were told by the Minister during a parliamentary committee meeting on Friday of ‘directions’ permitting the incremental expansion of e-commerce. Macpherson said it is critical Patel takes SA into his confidence and details what these ‘directions’ are and when they will be issued.

‘The continued rejection of unfettered e-commerce is simply unsustainable and without reason. ...SA is a real outlier when compared to other countries that are relying on e-commerce to get goods to consumers in a safe way to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission,’ he said.

Full Business Day report