Covid-19 regulations and directives

• The 7 September temporary employer/employee relief scheme (TERS) ministerial directive was withdrawn on 28 November:
  • with retrospective effect, from 15 October
  • presumably reinstating Direction 2 of the 26 March directive as amended on:
    • 8 April, and
    • 26 May.

 

• On 28 November, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) amended the information and communications technology regulations to:
  • ensure ongoing access to virtual classroom platforms free of charge (related temporary radio frequency spectrum licences issued during the State of Disaster were due to expire on 30 November 2020)
  • extend the validity of type approvals granted during the State of Disaster, and to
  • extend the deadline by which Icasa is required to notify community broadcasting service licence applicants of the outcome of any outstanding pre-registration notices.

 

List of skills in high demand nationally

• The latest list was gazetted on 26 November and is colour-coded to reflect the likely impact of Covid-19 as each sector adjusts to changes in the composition of South Africa’s economy.

 

Broadcasting services

• The deadline for public comment on a draft White Paper on audio and audio-visual content services has been extended to 15 February 2021.

 

Nuclear energy

• The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has called for comment on a consultation paper issued following receipt of a proposed ministerial determination on the procurement of new nuclear energy generation capacity.

 

Scrap metal preferential pricing policy directive

• The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition is considering extending the 2013 directive by another six months to allow government time to monitor the impact of an up-coming export duty on certain categories of scrap metal. Interested and affected parties have been invited to comment.

 

Prepared by Pam Saxby