HUGE BLOW FOR NON-ESSENTIAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES

MBABANE – Eswatini’s non-essential industries have suffered a huge blow following South Africa’s amendment of the COVID-19 trade regulations.

The amendment of the regulations has seen the neighbouring country trimming the importing of goods to strictly essential services in the duration of the 21-day lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. Eswatini’s main exports are sugar, wood pulp, cotton, beef and soft drink concentrates. Our main export partner is South Africa (60 per cent of total exports) followed by Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Norway. With the neighbouring country having declared that only the goods listed under essential services will be allowed into South Africa, it means the wood pulp, cotton and soft drink concentrates industries, among others, will be affected.

Regulations

The amendment of the regulations was confirmed by Chief of Staff at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in South Africa, Moosa Ebrahim. He stated that on export controls, all goods, essential and non-essential, there were no restrictions on trade with other countries, including the Kingdom of Eswatini as South Africa was open for trade and the borders were not closed for the exports of goods. However, he made it known that the Department of Trade in SA had clamped down on importation of goods that are non-essential, limiting them down to essential goods such as fuel, food and pharmaceuticals in the duration of the 21-day lockdown.

“It is true that amendments were made on the COVID-19 trade regulations and the changes are on imports into the republic. We have deemed it fit as a department to cut down the imports of goods and narrow it down strictly to essential services. However, our ports will remain active for exports of all goods to other countries,” he said.

Pharmaceuticals

This is contrary to unconfirmed reports that South Africa announced strict restrictions that only three essential goods would be exported to other countries and these were food, fuel and pharmaceuticals. Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo said they were in constant contact with the South African Government over their essential services. He said they were aware that their regulations provided for food, cleaning and hygiene products, medical, fuel (including coal and gas) as well as basic goods, including airtime and electricity as essential services.

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