'What are crop bottoms?': Mzansi confused by winter clothing regulations
Crop bottoms worn with boots and leggings. Shirts displayed and promoted to be worn under jackets, coats or knitwear. Short-sleeved knit tops promoted and displayed as worn under cardigans and knitwear.
These are some of the regulations that retail stores should abide by when selling winter clothes under level 4 lockdown.
The list of winter clothing was gazetted on Tuesday by the trade and industry department after consultations with stakeholders in the textile industry.
According to minister Ebrahim Patel, the gazette was to give clarity on clothing and related products that were permissible during level 4.
The list of winter clothes also includes all baby and toddler clothing, maternity wear and bedding accessories.
The government gazette can be accessed here.
Here is a snapshot of some of the reactions on social media.
The new DTI directive regarding the sale of clothing is positively Kafkaesque. T-shirts can be sold as long as “promoted as undergarments for warmth”. Shirts can be bought as long as they are “promoted to be worn under jackets”. Who comes up with this? pic.twitter.com/Y24ac6I28E
— Gavin Davis (@gavdavis) May 12, 2020
It is incredible. What an embarrassment.
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) May 12, 2020
PS What are “crop bottoms,” - booty shorts? https://t.co/RkHLyvfYsr
I never believed I would live to see total madness by government. @PresidencyZA, please don't use the Corona Virus pandemic to bring some kind of Cultural Revolution in our democracy. Making decision for us what clothing to buy is certainly going just too far pic.twitter.com/FSf0hZAnYq
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) May 13, 2020
South Africa's regulations about what can be sold under level 4 lockdown (which has been in place for 12 days) includes "crop bottoms worn with boots and leggings".
— Linda Nordling (@lindanordling) May 13, 2020
Will police come check we wear them with leggings? https://t.co/CPIPJXTxfm
Don't dare try that. They have emptied out the jails to make space for criminals who choose to wear takkies with their "crop bottoms". The army is out in force looking for such people.
— Helen Zille (@helenzille) May 12, 2020
Govt. spending so much energy and time drafting laws about candles and crop bottoms, fix the PATENT LAWS rather, dammit. That WILL save us lives. #fixthepatentlaws #COVID19
— Fatima Hassan (@_HassanF) May 12, 2020
Why in God’s name is Patel being a micro manager during a pandemic listing how retailers must sell their items. @CyrilRamaphosa please take control and talk to us before we all end up in crop bottoms and boots. #SAlockdown
— Shelley Diesel (@ShelleyDiesel) May 13, 2020
Patel says clothing stores can sell crop bottoms if they are to be worn with leggings and boots.
— Katharine Child (@katjanechild) May 12, 2020
So a retailer must determine how a customer will in future wear their product.
Dunno what crop bottoms are, but it's bad law.
And unrelated to virus control. https://t.co/8tNR79WqpH
@PresidencyZA @CyrilRamaphosa the new clothing regulations are just ridiculous. Just let clothing shops selling everything in store. What difference would make if I bought a t-shirt or crop bottom? How does that help to flatten the curve? Shops are open allow them to trade fully.
— Bhuti Mashethi (@MdladlaSiya) May 13, 2020