Editor

The uncertainty and financial strain placed on entrepreneurs and small business owners by the global coronavirus pandemic is being alleviated by a host of public and private support schemes.

Small business owners and informal traders are amongst the South Africans who are most heavily impacted by the lockdown. In order to get through this difficult time, these business owners can take advantage of a number of interventions that government has put in place to assist them. 

SMME Debt Relief Fund

The night before South Africa entered its national lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a moving address to members of the South African Police Service and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

“Tonight, you begin the most important calling of your mission: To save the lives of South Africans.”

Nompumelelo Ncube is one of our healthcare heroes working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight. 

Ncube works as a communicable disease control and outbreak response co-ordinator for the Tshwane health district with the Gauteng Department of Health. This means that she is at the very heart of the country’s efforts to control the epidemic. 

Government’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) interventions, especially the national lockdown, have been successful in slowing down the disease’s spread.

This is according to South African epidemiologist and infectious diseases specialist Professor Salim Abdool Karim, who is also the chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Group on COVID-19.

At a briefing held with Health Minister Zweli Mkhize recently, Professor Karim presented an overview of the epidemic, its early trajectory and the country’s eight-stage plan for tackling the virus.

Empowering yourself with accurate information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) is very important to your health and wellbeing.

To make this possible, a web-enabled App called CoronaFighter has been created and developed by Dr Jarrad van Zuydam and Dr Rick Diesel from InsightFit, and teams at Sigma Digital and Lead Robot, to provide citizens with accurate information about the virus.

The arts and sports sectors will not be spared from the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) 21-day lockdown, says Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa. 

“… Sporting and creative sectors are going to be the hardest hit by these critically important measures,” the minister said. 

As a result of people being confined to their homes – except for essential reasons – events have either been postponed or cancelled.

Government has offered a lifeline to the South African tourism sector in the face of the crippling coronavirus crisis.

South Africa’s tourism sector has been grounded by the coronavirus, which has resulted in trips being cancelled or postponed. 

All tourism attractions, places that offer holiday accommodation and restaurants have closed as part of the nationwide 21-day lockdown, which exempts only essential services businesses. 

Community-based care centres are bringing essential social and health services to rural villages.

Poor families in a KwaZulu-Natal village will benefit from better nutrition, thanks to a donation by German state-owned KfW Development Bank, which was facilitated by the Department of Social Development (DSD).

Despite its rural location, a Limpopo primary school is unlocking the power of technology.

Pupils of a rural primary school have improved their academic results and are ahead of their peers in information and communication technology (ICT) knowledge. 

The Ntji Mothapo Primary School in Ga-Mothapo village outside of Polokwane, Limpopo, is equipped with ICT learning tools such as projectors and white boards for projecting videos and images; interactive learning boards and has internet access.