Confusion, anxiety among small businesses over Gauteng travel ban

The travel ban in and out of Gauteng to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic has caused confusion and anxiety, particularly among small businesses who depend on the province for survival.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced this week that because of the burden of infections in Gauteng, which has reported more than 60% of Covid-19 cases, travel in and out of the province for leisure purposes will be prohibited.

Travel in and out of Gauteng will only be allowed for work, business or commercial travel, transit through airports or for the transport of goods, with a permit.

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According to socio-economist Solly Masilela, the lack of specifics on what travel for business and commercial purposes mean was worrying.

“Business is defined in legal terms and only those big companies that could seek and produce permits will operate. Imagine someone from KwaMhlanga (Mpumalanga), who relies on his bakkie to buy potatoes in Marabastad (Gauteng) to back home to survive. How do they prove they are travelling for business or commercial purposes?” he asked.

Masilela said police, both at the police station and roadblocks, were difficult on the issues of permits and he himself as a consultant had been twice denied a permit to travel for a presentation.

He said the lack of clarity in the regulations gave law enforcement officials too much power over frustrated, anxious  and most desperate, vulnerable sector of society and created lucrative opportunity for corruption and bribery.

Masilela said Gauteng was bordered by provinces like Mpumalanga and North West, with people depending on Gauteng for their everyday survival and these are people who will suffer the most at police stations and on roadblocks.

“Contravening the regulations could lead to a fine or up to six-month imprisonment or both. So you go to the police station and be refused the permit, you take your chance at the roadblock and opt to pay than face prison,” he said.

Motor mechanic Abbey Molefe, who runs a workshop that employs four people in Atteridgeville, said he was frustrated because he has clients in the Hartbeespoort area, which falls under North West.

“It is also the closest town where I buy my spares. It means now I have to travel 15km to Pretoria or get a permit to travel to Hartbeespoort. It is the permit part that is problematic because now you are giving police power over the survival of my business. It would be reasonable if one was required to prove the purpose of their travel,” he said.

Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma designated has gazetted a notice which moves the country to level 4 lockdown, giving effect to the announcement by Ramaphosa.

The minister admitted the regulations will affect several aspects of lives and may require changes to planned activities but that communities, industries, businesses and entities, both private and in the public sectors, must operate within the level 4 regulations as amended and gazetted.

Ministers who serve in the National Coronavirus Command Council will on Tuesday brief the media to further outline measures to ensure compliance to the regulations in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 following the president’s address to the nation.

siphom@citizen.co.za