South African stores can only sell shoes if they are \u201cclosed toe,\u201d and short-sleeved shirts if they are promoted or displayed to be worn under jackets or jerseys, according to the latest list of government rules that spell out what\u2019s allowed during a nationwide lockdown.<\/p>\n
The regulations published Tuesday are the latest addition to a plethora of state directives – ostensibly to limit economic activity and curb the spread of the coronavirus. Most South Africans are baffled about what purpose they serve.<\/p>\n
The restrictions are \u201cbeyond belief,\u201d Adrian Saville, the chief executive officer of Cannon Asset Managers in Johannesburg, said on Twitter. \u201cWe are in the place of folly that becomes tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa, which has diagnosed 11,350 coronavirus cases, first imposed a lockdown in late March, banning the sale of most goods besides groceries and medical supplies. The government eased the restrictions from May 1, allowing the sale of winter clothing and bedding to resume.<\/p>\n
Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel\u2019s office said he\u2019d consulted with clothing and textile industry leaders about which goods should be permitted to be sold and they\u2019d welcomed the clarity the new rules provided.<\/p>\n
The list includes T-shirts, but only if they\u2019re used as \u201cundergarments for warmth,\u201d and \u201ccrop bottoms worn with boots or leggings,\u201d according to the Government Gazette.<\/p>\n
\u201cRestarting more parts of our economy is important and we are working hard to ensure that industry follows best practice to protect the health and safety of all our citizens,\u201d Patel said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The main opposition Democratic Alliance called for Patel to be fired.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese new clothing regulations are frankly mad and seem more at place during the 1980s under the Soviet Union than they do in a democracy like South Africa,\u201d Dean Macpherson, the party\u2019s shadow trade and industry minister, said in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is simply no justification for the minister to be determining what clothes people can buy and worse, how they should wear them.\u201d<\/p>\n