The Covid Report

Job losses during the pandemic and business opportunity

The COVID 19 pandemic has a significant impact on the steadily worsening unemployment crisis in SA, & resulted in many people losing their jobs. Certain individuals, however, were able to also take advantage of the opportunity presented to them in the wake of this, & to this end, we are…

13 Apr 2021 8 min

Understanding the alcohol ban & its role in the pandemic

One of the most polarizing topics within urban South African discourse, particularly during the pandemic, has been the various alcohol bans put in place during the lockdown. They have routinely received a mixed response from the public, & to this end, we are joined by Bar Consultant & Mixologist, Ntando…

13 Apr 2021 23 min

A timeline of increased unemployment in SA during the pandemic

FTI Consulting released a study that tracked the progressively worsening unemployment crisis in South Africa and how the COVID 19 pandemic made this even worse. Dr. Paula Armstrong joins us on the show to unpack her findings and the research that went into the production of the study.

12 Apr 2021 30 min

Informal workers' lives and livelihoods during the Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on people's ability to earn a living, & this hasn't been more keenly felt anywhere else than in the informal trading sector. SAITA's Rosheda Muller joins us on The Covid Report to unpack the measures their organization is taking to help the impacted…

29 Mar 2021 30 min

The Impact of the pandemic on career choices

As regularly noted over the entirety of the show's history, the COVID 19 pandemic has prompted many people to reevaluate their priorities & reexamine their career aspirations. Head of Food at Nando's, Ms. Pascale Sobiecki, joins us on The Covid Report to provide insight in this regard, while also mapping…

9 Mar 2021 28 min

Studying during the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a turbulent period for many, jobs were lost and many people's lives changed drastically. How anxious were matriculants with having to adjust to online studying and putting in extra work to ensure that they pass their Matric year? Gamelihle Bovana speaks to Khumo Toyana, a…

8 Mar 2021 28 min

Vaccination isn’t your guarantee of safety

Are vaccines your greatest guarantee of safety? Taking the vaccine jab and whether it is safe or not has been a question debated by many. Host of the Covid Report Gamelihle Bovana speaks to Burt Rodrigues, CEO of Biological Chemical Technologies (Biodx), to unpack the safety of vaccines as well…

2 Mar 2021 44 min

Collecting taxes during the covid19 pandemic

SARS priority has been to raise awareness about the October 2020 deadline for people who needed to file an income tax return at a SARS branch, why is it important for SARS to issue notices for tax returns? Gamelihle Bovana speaks to Itumeleng Mokhine TA (SA) Tax Specialist at Liberty…

5 Nov 2020 31 min

Should South Africa fear for a second wave of the covid19 pandemic?

South Africa went into Lockdown Level 1 in September where we saw a lot of activities being permitted, although this didn’t mean that the coronavirus had been completely cleared we saw a lot of citizens being relaxed and the use of non pharmaceutical intervention not being observed. There has been…

4 Nov 2020 42 min

How can South Africa recover from the economic woes amid the cover-19 pandemic?

Last week, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) proposes a five-year fiscal consolidation to narrow the budget deficit and stabilise government debt. The biggest highlights were that the South African economy is expected to contract by 7.8% in 2020, while our debt is set…

2 Nov 2020 38 min

Is there support for the ‘missing middle’ students during the pandemic?

It has been over eight months since universities along with the students and the academic profession were forced to adapt to online learning, what are some of the challenges that you would say have persisted over the period? We speak to Prof Ahmed Bawa, the CEO of Universities South Africa,…

29 Oct 2020 37 min

Covid 19 and Comorbidities

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread rapidly across the globe, scientists expressed concern that people living with other underlying conditions like diabetes and HIV have had to worry about managing their current condition and how the coronavirus would affect them if they ever were infected. South Africa has gained…

27 Oct 2020 31 min

Why has America failed to manage the covid-19 pandemic?

The US has become the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic with over 9 million infections and rising and 228- thousand deaths. This all as the country prepares for a presidential election in November where incumbent Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are vying for the 46th US president…

22 Oct 2020 39 min

How covid-19 pandemic made it hard for people to look for jobs

South Africa’s unemployment rate fell to 23.3% in the second quarter of 2020 from 30.1% in the previous period. It was the lowest jobless rate since the second quarter of 2009, as the country’s strict lockdown distorted labour force numbers with fewer people actively looking for employment. Meantime, employment fell…

20 Oct 2020 20 min

Impact of covid 19 on NGO funding

NGO’s are facing a great number of challenges arising from internal weaknesses as well as limitations emanating from official frameworks and support mechanisms aimed at strengthening them. These play a critical role in advancing social change and transformation, but would their current funding model need to be addressed for them…

19 Oct 2020 22 min

How child abuse has been

The COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown has resulted in an economic slowdown which has disrupted every aspect of our society. This situation also has far-reaching implications for the role that non-profit organisations play in the lives of millions of South Africans. Today on the #CovidReport we hear from Clinical Director…

19 Oct 2020 30 min

Technology the winner during the covid 19 pandemic

The telecommunications industry has seen tremendous technological advances over the past few decades, with mobility, broadband and internet services growing in capability and reach across the globe. The pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance that telecommunications infrastructure plays in keeping businesses, governments and societies connected and running. Because of the…

14 Oct 2020 36 min

How has Covid 19 affected advertising?

The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to shape the advertising industry in the long-term. Businesses are prioritizing survival for now, but in the future will have to find new ways of brand-building. The change in people’s media and consumption habits will force a rethink of how best to do so. Paul…

13 Oct 2020 26 min

Will structural reforms resolve our economic problems?

South Africa’s economy recorded its worst slump in decades in the second quarter, when Africa’s most industrialised nation remained mired in one of the world’s strictest Covid-19 lockdowns. On the #CovidReport today we seak to Economist Khathutshelo Sikhitha to tell us more.

13 Oct 2020 24 min

Dating During the Pandemic

Dating is complicated and often clumsy even in the best of times, add in a mask, social distancing and fear of a highly contagious virus. It's no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has made nearly everything more difficult, including dating, our relationships with other people in our communities, our families…

12 Oct 2020 29 min