Sakeliga’s Comment on the Tourism Amendment Bill of 2019
The Tourism Amendment Bill [2019] was published by the department of tourism on the 15th of April 2019 for public comment. Among other changes, the bill aims to amend the Tourism Act in order to empower the minister of tourism to set national thresholds for short-term home–rental. Short-term home–rental is defined in the bill as ‘the renting or leasing on a temporary basis, for reward, of a dwelling or part thereof, to a visitor.’ […]
Business organisations start campaign to end lockdown completely
Business organisations in South Africa are coming together in a campaign to end lockdown. They are not satisfied by lockdown moving from one level to another and want to make it clear that business is insisting on a complete end to lockdown. Signatories so far represent more than 50 000 members and include the LWO Employers Organisation, National Employers Association […]
Ending the state of disaster, rebuilding society up to us
The state of disaster is the real disaster. It has been caused by a government which appropriated emergency powers and is unwilling to give them up. The damage won’t stop at level 2 and – if left alone – will remain long after Covid-19 has passed. “We call upon our members, other business owners, other […]
Sakeliga supports Business for Ending Lockdown
Business group Sakeliga is proud to be a founding signatory to the Business for Ending Lockdown campaign. Piet le Roux, CEO of Sakeliga, says ending lockdown is the only way to recover from the unfolding humanitarian disaster. “First, as business, we do not want a change in levels, or more commissions, or more exceptions. We want a complete resumption of economic activity, with the freedom to […]
The lock down suffocates one of SA’s biggest assets
Independent author: Chris Hattingh According to Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, the tourism sector has lost R54.2 billion so far in 2020. We need to keep in mind the effect of COVID-19 on international tourism, but it is becoming clearer by the day that the South African government’s own lockdown and COVID-19 regulations have had a […]
Sakeliga encourages members to support restaurants on Wednesday
Independent business group Sakeliga encourages its members to support restaurants and coffee shops on Wednesday, 22 July, as part of the Restaurant Association’s (RASA’s) Million Seats on the Streets Campaign. Lockdown has so far cost the industry almost all of its R7 billion per month in turnover. After months of needlessly harmful, excessive, and impulsive regulations, several industries are on its knees. Prominent among these is […]
Businesses should obtain individual legal advice before confronting regulations
Sakeliga strongly recommends that businesspersons and other members of the public obtain proper legal advice for their unique situations before trying to confront gaps and illegalities in the lock down regulations. “No one should break a legitimate regulation. However, the reality is that the ambiguities in the regulations, court rulings, contradictory ministerial pronouncements and economic distress force people into unclear legal positions, whether they intentionally confront regulations or not. Sakeliga therefore emphasises: obtain […]
Sakeliga requests COGTA and SAPS to halt lockdown arrests and reveal standing orders
Business organisation Sakeliga has requested Ministers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Bheki Cele to halt lockdown-related arrests and reveal their revised standing orders to the police. Sakeliga’s request follows judge Norman Davis’s refusal last week to grant the state leave to appeal his declaration of unconstitutionality of Regulation 48(2) of the lockdown regulations, in the Liberty Fighters Network-matter. Regulation 48(2) provides (or provided) for the criminalisation of contravention of […]
Only two out of ten businesses were operating at full capacity under early Level 3 restrictions – Sakeliga Business Impact Survey
Only about two out of ten businesses who participated in business group Sakeliga’s business impact survey for June indicated that they could resume their activities at full capacity in June. The survey was taken among Sakeliga members and their broader network. In addition, respondents indicated that damage to consumers’ wallets because of Covid-19 and the […]
Time to restructure the state, not the economy
When budget deficits more than double to 16%, without government cutting expenditure somewhere, it is time to restructure the state, not the economy. So says Piet le Roux, CEO of independent business group Sakeliga in reaction to the emergency budget presented in Parliament today by Minister Tito Mboweni. “Contrary to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s insistence last week that Covid19 presents an opportunity to transform and restructure the economy, it […]