Restarting manufacturing and retail: Details expected this week

Cape Town, W Cape, SA – Following the announcement that the manufacture and retail of 'winter clothing' will be allowed from May 1, a Government Gazette spelling out the conditions is expected to be published this week.
       "We're busy writing a lot of motivations and product lists which have to be with the government by midday tomorrow [today]," National Clothing Retail Federation of SA executive director Michael Lawrence said yesterday. "The lists include footwear. We've been very specific about the categories."
       He said the NCRF had also asked for time ahead of the scheduled re-opening to be able to "tidy up our stores", and to train staff and install any equipment required to comply with regulations.
       "I suspect the government has already written the notification, and is just waiting to finalise details. They've set the date. They must make it happen, somehow."
       He said retailers were welcome to contact him. (+27 (0)82 496 0126, michaell@ncrf.org)
       On the manufacturing side, Dr Jaywant Irkhede, Director: Leather & Footwear at the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC), asked all manufacturers' associations in the leather industry to submit proposals to the DTIC: "We will appreciate if all six sub-sector associations (SAFLIA, SHALC, SAOBC, SACIA, SATTA and GGBB&LEA) can submit their proposal in favour of how the industry in their sub-sector would like to operate during Alert Level 4 by 27th April 2020. We would like to urgently feed all proposals to the DTIC Chief Economist by close of 27th April 2020. We have already received an official draft proposal today from Ernest Heunis of SHALC on behalf of Skins & Hides sub-sector for all tanneries to be allowed to operate under Alert Level 4 and it be gazetted under new regulation."
       One manufacturer said of the recommended preventative measures and procedures for manufacturers produced by FLIC and published in last week's newsletter: "If you look at the list of things your staff and factory have to now comply with, I feel first of all they will battle to work productively and secondly with the expense will it be worth opening?" [Note: FLIC's list was of recommendations, not regulations]
       Said SAFLIA director Jirka Vymetal: "The little I do know is that working conditions will be very strict under COVID conditions, so most of what FLIC state will probably be a requirement. So yes, going forward there will be huge additional expenses for a factory to commence and carry on working."
           So far, leather goods haven't been mentioned in the re-opening dialogue. Said Equator - the Belt Factory™ director Leon Buhr: "Winter shoes might manage to get into that definition [winter clothing], but I doubt belts or bags can make a case to be included as winter clothing at Level 4. Although you do need a belt to hold up your corduroys.... I have lowered my expectations to zero so whatever happens I can only be surprised on the upside. We fully support the extensive safety protocols in work-places and factories and had already implemented many of these soon after 4 March, and are readying for a very stringent environment at the workplace as thinking and suggestions around this evolve. At the end of the day, whether we can re-open now or later, everything depends on consumer demand. Nothing else matters really, does it?"