Johannesburg – The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) plans to close down companies that flout Covid-19 regulations to protect the well-being of employees, as the government reopens the economy and eases the lockdown.
Director-General of the department Lionel October told the parliamentary committee on Friday that the government has adopted a “no mercy” approach to firms that didn’t adhere to the regulations.
“The essential workers are most exposed. People working in the health sector and people working in the retail sector are vulnerable. We are adopting an approach where worker safety and protection is imperative. We are adopting an approach where we are saying there is no mercy. If people do not implement these regulations properly, they will close down.
The social contract is that we will have an opening of the economy on condition of protective measures being in place to protect employees,” said October.
October added that the department is aiming to create jobs by procuring 20 million masks from clothing manufacturers that would be used by schools.
“The schools are going to need 20 million masks,” said October.
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