Companies which are registered to perform essential services during the lockdown should have by now received a new certificate from the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) for the extended lockdown period. The old certificates are no longer valid and will have to be disposed of.

The new certificates should be automatically emailed to companies registered as essential service businesses by 20 April 2020. If a new certificate has not been received by email, it should be downloaded via CIPC’s BizPortal website.

Any permits issued by companies to their employees travelling during the lockdown period which refer to the original lockdown dates must be reissued to instead refer to the ‘lockdown period’ to cater for the current extension (and any possible future extensions). To find out more about the permits required, click here.

Companies are reminded that having a certificate from CIPC is still subject to complying with the lockdown regulations. Where the CIPC finds that certificates have been issued to companies which do not meet the definitions of an essential service or that the company is not complying with the lockdown regulations, such certificate will be revoked, and the company will be referred to the South African Police Services. A false declaration by the company is a criminal offence and will result in prosecution, in terms of the lockdown regulations.