The sale of alcohol and cigarettes is however still expressly prohibited. 

Patel said he issued the new regulations after consultation with cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in terms of the Disaster Management Act. 

“e-Commerce can be a critical enabler to opening the economy through contactless transactions, which can reduce the movement of consumers, and the density of shoppers in retail spaces. Further it can accelerate innovation, support local manufacturing and increase access by the informal market and poorer South Africans,” said Patel. 

“e-Commerce is an important retail platform; however appropriate health and safety protocols need to be put in place which can allow the full e-Commerce.” 

The new regulations also emphasise that e-commerce customers must ensure that all residents within the immediate vicinity must wear a cloth face mask or a homemade item that covers the nose and mouth when receiving goods from courier and delivery personnel. 

Customers must maintain at least one-and-a-half metres distance from courier and delivery personnel. 

Customers were also encouraged to disinfect goods using guidelines published by the national department of health and those provided by retailers. 

Meanwhile, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) was on Thursday launching a high court challenge to the lockdown restrictions on movement and trade and would on Friday file another to challenge the constitutionality of the National Command Council on Covid-19, party leader John Steenhuisen said.

The first court challenge tackles South Africa's military-enforced night-time curfew, the ban on e-commerce which was later addressed by Patel, and the restriction of exercise to a three-hour early-morning window period, Steenhuisen said.

"Today our lawyers will file papers in the high court challenging the rationality of three separate lockdown-related issues: the night curfew, the ban on e-commerce and the restriction on exercise hours," he said.

"It is our opinion – and it is the view of many South Africans – that all three of these decisions should be immediately reversed, as there are no rational justifications for a military-enforced curfew, a restriction on e-commerce business and a limited three-hour window for exercise."

The DA's announcement follows a televised address by president Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday night in which he said most of the country could by the end of May move to level 3 restrictions, and there would in coming days potentially be an easing of some level four restrictions.

The president gave no firm commitment on either adjustment, and said that any changes would be the subject of consultations.

African News Agency