Individuals, corporations and the economy have all fallen victim
to the devastating impact of COVID-19 ("the
coronavirus"). However, the recent regulations published by
the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Minister Patel,
intends to bring some relief to the economy in its bid to fight the
pandemic.
The Competition Act 89 of 1998 ("the Act"), allows the
Minister to exempt categories of agreements or practices from the
application of chapter 2 (prohibited practices) of the Act, in
order to give effect to the purpose of the Act. The Act echoes the
objectives of the Constitution in that it similarly has as one of
its purposes "to promote employment and advance the social and
economic welfare of South Africans".