Author: Gugu Lourie

The 13 million jobless South Africans are begging for help, but their cries have been met with a deafening silence. By Friday, the South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) had received 13 million applications for the R350 Social Relief Grant. The agency also stated that only 6.3 million of these applications were properly completed and valid. The unemployed are facing an unprecedented crisis as they cannot fend for themselves because of the lockdown. A hard lockdown was imposed at the end of March to curb the spread of COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike…

Logistics company Santova is planning to expand its presence globally as COVID-19 batters the world economy and disrupts supply chains. The JSE-listed company said it will focus on establishing a presence in strategic locations, namely India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the United States. “The ‘new norm’, continuous unrelenting disruptive change, offers Santova real growth opportunities.,” Santova informed investors on Thursday. “Our focus is on exceptional client-centricity, innovation and latest technological software packages,” the group said. “We will build our business in and along real economic growth zones or trade lanes, including participating in intraregional trade between China, Japan, India, Singapore,…

A high court in South Africa has declared some of the earlier coronavirus lockdown restrictions unconstitutional, but it also ruled that level 3 remains in force for now. On Tuesday, Judge Norman Davis declared that the regulations promulgated by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma were “unconstitutional and invalid”. The lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike in virus infections. For more read: Lockdown Makes No Sense – Says South Africa’s Court While some citizens are pleased with Judge Davis’ decision, it is likely, in…

Irene Charnley, a former trade unionist and businesswoman, must vacate her seat on the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) board immediately, the United Democratic Movement leader, Bantu Holomisa, said. In a letter to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, Holomisa said Charnley was a former beneficiary of the PIC’s funding initiatives, making her ineligible to serve as a board member. PIC is a state-owned asset manager that manages R2 trillion in government pension savings on behalf of the Government Employees’ Pension Fund (GEPF). In 2015, the PIC committed an investment of $100 million in Smile Telecoms, a company owned by Charnely. “This is…

Members of the public are prohibited from transporting alcohol outside of level 3 trading hours, said SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo. Speaking on Cape Talk’s Afternoon Drive with John Maytham, Naidoo said that this means that transporting booze is prohibited on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Naidoo added that only licensed traders are permitted to transport alcohol outside of trading hours for the purposes of restocking retail outlets. “If a person is stopped at a roadblock during the weekend and found to have alcohol in their vehicle, they will be in contravention of the lockdown regulations,” he explained.…

This Youth Month, MultiChoice Group (MCG) announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative. The partnerships have resulted in the creation of 400 new job opportunities. In addition, MCG has created 100 sports coaching learnerships through its Let’s Play initiative. The two partnerships equate to a total investment of R50 million towards putting 500 South African youth to work. These young people will be employed in industries that include telecommunication, human resource management, engineering, satellite communication, coaching and ICT. In addition, the opportunity has spread to youngsters across different provinces, including…

Ukheshe, a SMME focused digital banking platform, has launched a Track and Trace service using its existing payment ecosystem to assist consumers in managing any possible risk factors in level three lockdown. The Ukheshe app is free, user friendly and easy to download for anyone needing to transact without a bank account. Clayton Hayward, CEO and co-founder, Ukheshe, says that Covid-19 is a concern for all citizens and in addition to making the platform free for grant disbursements, Ukheshe wanted to assist in other ways. “We created a track and trace solution to assist consumers to keep updated on infection…

The River, one of South Africa’s most popular telenovelas, has halted production after one of its crew members tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement released by Tshedza Pictures, which produces the show,  the company said it has since halted shooting and all cast and crew members have been asked to self-isolate while the necessary health protocols are being implemented. #Covid19InSA #TheRiver1Magic pic.twitter.com/qT9KoEwbv3 — Tshedza Pictures (@TshedzaPictures) June 3, 2020 They have also offered empathy and support for their colleague, and the entire cast and crew have been asked to self-isolate while health protocols are being implemented. “After I…

A high court in South Africa has declared some of the earlier coronavirus restrictions unconstitutional, but it also ruled that level 3 of the lockdown remains in force for now. The lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike in virus infections. Locking down all business and other activities and confining millions of people to their homes was never going to be easy socially and economically. All the relevant scientific data has shown that the lockdown saved thousands of lives and set the country…

The high court has ruled that the South African government’s lockdown regulations are not legal but they will nevertheless remain in place for at least the next 14 days. “Government has taken note of the judgment delivered by the Gauteng Division of the High Court today, 2 June 2020, declaring the Alert Level 4 and Alert Level 3 Lockdown regulations unconstitutional and invalid,” said Phumla Williams, South Africa’s Cabinet spokesperson. The court suspended the declaration of invalidity for a period of 14 days. “This means that the Alert Level 3 regulations remain in operation for now,” explains Williams. “The court…