Cape Town - The public has just over one week left to comment on government’s plans to stop the export of scrap metal.
This, after the government last year announced measures to address the theft of public infrastructure for resale as scrap metal.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at the time, said it was resulting in more than R47 billion damage annually to the economy.
An initial plan involved the prohibition of export of scrap copper and ferrous metal for a six month period, as well as blocking the use of cash in copper and scrap metal transactions.
Now, turning up the heat, the government is proposing to prohibit the export of certain ferrous and non-ferrous waste and scrap metal for a further period of nine months.
According to the government gazette, motivating for the move: “Feedback received, in particular from Transnet, Eskom and SAPS, indicates that from November 30, 2022, the theft of copper and ferrous metal has reduced but remains at very high levels and continues to cause considerable damage to the infrastructure and to the economy.”
Phase two of the policy will include the enhancement of the regulation of scrap metal trade through amendments to the Second-Hand Goods Act, 6 of 2009, “to bolster the applicable metal trading registration regime, as well as further interventions such as the limitation of ports and land borders for export of waste, scrap and semi-finished metal products”.
Phase two is estimated to take nine months to implement, which will include the development of an electronic registration and trading system.
“Stakeholders are requested to send their comments and submissions to the Director-General of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, marked for the attention of Mr. Mahendra Shunmoogam, either by e-mail on [email protected] or hand delivered at 77 Meintjes Street, Block A, 1st Floor, Sunnyside, Pretoria, by no later than Monday, May 29, 2023,” the DTI said.
The document is available on the DTI website.
Cape Times