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CORONAVIRUS

Nollywood-style weddings land on the cutting room floor

As the coronavirus restrictions on mass gatherings persist, Nigeria is having to tone down the grand events it cherishes

  • Bolu Akindele
7 min read
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS

South Africa on track to move to phase three of its Covid-19 economic response

The next phase of the government’s economic strategy, which will be announced ‘soon’, is expected to detail plans to recover from the crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic

  • Thando Maeko
3 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo Archive)
CORONAVIRUS
Video

Watch it again: President Ramaphosa to address the nation

The president’s address follows a number of meetings with Cabinet and the National Coronavirus Command Council

  • Kiri Rupiah
1 min read
The #FeesMustFall protests demonstrated the burden of higher education in South Africa, a concept institutions contend with annually.
FEESMUSTFALL

Listen to the voice of Generation C — they have answers for Africa’s future

Many young people already know how to deal with the problems the Covid-19 pandemic has wrought — they have been living with them all along

  • Mamokgethi Phakeng
7 min read
At the frontline: Tasneem Motara, the MEC in charge of infrastructure in Gauteng, is under immense pressure to deliver. (Delwyn Verasamy)
BENONI

‘Over-preparing’ to fight the virus

Gauteng infrastructure MEC Tasneem Motara’s life has changed. It is calmer, but preparing for a flood of Covid-19 patients raises the pressure

  • Sarah Smit
4 min read
Up in smoke: Government has backtracked on its decision to allow the sale of tobacco products under level four of the national lockdown.
CIGARETTES
Video

Level four lockdown: Dlamini-Zuma stubs out South Africa’s hopes for a puff

Some industries will open but the tobacco ban remains in place, contradicting the president’s earlier remarks

  • Paddy Harper
4 min read
What are the chances for humanity to come to its senses and ditch the disastrous capitalist system for something better — whatever one might call that — something that would factor our indissoluble relationship with nature into economic relations? (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
ACADEMICS

Covid-19 pandemic: An opportunity to press the reset button on capitalism?

Human greed has brought us to the brink of societal collapse. It is time for a student-led revolution to promote a transition to a new economic system

  • Bert Olivier
10 min read
Honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness and compassion will carry humanity through any crisis. (Paul Joseph Brown/VillageReach)
CORONAVIRUS

Co-values needed as much as a scientific breakthrough

Honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness and compassion will carry humanity through any crisis

  • Arnold Smit
5 min read
City of Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato along with other officials held a media briefing at their COVID-19 lockdown facility in Strandfontein followed by a tour of the large marquee tents. The media presence incited many of the people in the tents that was quickly stopped after media was urged to move along. The City of Cape Town’s Covid-19 lockdown encampment in Strandfontein for up to 4000 homeless people from around the greater city area. (David Harrison/M&G)
BROKEN WINDOWS THEORY

Covid-19 stigma: Revealing the pre-existing fault lines in our society

South Africans have an uncaring stigmatising and marginalising culture and it keeps people on the fringes of society with diminished opportunities in life

  • Casper Lӧtter
7 min read
Spookily comforting: Lauren Beukes latest novel, Afterland, was five years in the making and the depth of research imbues the book with an intensity that is rivetting. (Nazreen Essack)
AFTERLAND
Video

Review: ‘Afterland’ — a novel that foreshadows the Covid-19 pandemic

For the past five years, Lauren Beukes has been working on a book set in the aftermath of a global epidemic. Its release couldn’t have been more timely

  • Theresa Mallinson
7 min read
The gold standard is complete suppression of the virus, which can be done without massive economic disruption by using rapid testing, effective contact tracing and complete isolation of infected cases. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
AIDS

In a pandemic, science and humanities work side by side

Anthropologists ask the difficult questions about human behaviour and also provide the difficult answers

  • Fraser McNeill
3 min read
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Thursday overturned a much-criticised high court ruling in the early days of South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown that struck down most of the restrictions imposed by the state as unconstitutional. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
BRAZIL

Richard Calland: A lifetime chance for a future we want

Leaders need to grapple with the wicked problem of how to ease out of the lockdown

  • Richard Calland
8 min read
Abba Kyari’s cause of death was Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, a presidential spokesman confirmed on Twitter.
ABBA KYARI

Nigeria’s president loses his right hand man to Covid-19

Abba Kyari was Muhammadu Buhari’s powerful chief of staff, and the jockeying to replace him has already begun

  • Aanu Adeoye
6 min read
(Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
BONANG MOHALE

South Africa’s Covid-19 economic stimulus plan — opportunity out of crisis

The president’s R500-billion economic package offers a new deal for desperate South Africans across the class divide

  • M&G Reporters
6 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an “extraordinary coronavirus budget” on Tuesday. (Reuters)
CORONA LEAD

Ramaphosa announces R500-billion Covid-19 package for South Africa

President announces an ‘extraordinary coronavirus budget’ with R20-billion for healthcare and spending on the pandemic equal to 10% of national GDP

  • Beauregard Tromp
  • Sipho Kings
4 min read
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni (right) and President Cyril Ramaphosa. (Sumaya Hisham/Reuters)
AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

SA lockdown: Coercing the poor, coddling the rich?

The Ramaphosa Presidency has been praised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but the compensating measures that accompany it are inadequate to protect much of the…

  • Seán Muller
20 min read
Remote work schedules, YouTube tutorials and livestreaming have turned lockdown into “business as usual” for the more fortunate among us. For most young South Africans, however, the shutdown of schools, universities and businesses has put the brakes on their ability to grow and learn — at a time when they could and should be growing and learning as much as they can. Lindokuhle, a 21-year-old from Langa who is part of the Youth Capital network says: “Connectivity is a problem. Like most young people, I rely on internet cafes, as they have standard prices, to do my CV, apply for jobs and do my school work. Covid-19 has dramatically decreased our productivity and is threatening our possible livelihood.” After an inquiry launched in 2017 — based on complaints from the public about the high cost of data — in December 2019 the Competition Commission confirmed that the country’s data prices were too high, especially for mobile prepaid data, and recommended that mobile networks reduce the price of bundles below one gigabyte. The commission also recommended that networks agree on an industry-wide approach to zero-rating public benefit and educational institution websites. Just days after the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in South Africa, Vodacom announced it was cutting the price of its 1GB bundle by 34%; MTN followed suit, announcing a reduction in the price of its monthly 1GB bundles and below by between 25% and 50%. And the day before national lockdown was put into place, the government publicised Telkom’s decision to make government and education sites access-free on their network. Vodacom and MTN have also since zero-rated many learning sites, with Vodacom offering a zero-rated e-school portal with content for grades R to 12. In addition to Free Basics, CellC also announced a lifeline package for prepaid customers and access to zero-rated content on selected public-benefit and government websites. Although these price revisions and the zero-rating of educational content are a step in the right direction, we still have a long way to go if we want to ensure more equitable access to relevant content that could help those who need it most, now and post Covid-19. Telkom, Vodacom and MTN have each established their own zero-rated portals, with free access to network-curated content on education, jobs, health, news and government websites ­— CellC is adding content to its existing platform, including government sites. This content is limited and accessible for free if you belong to their network. Upskilling content for out-of-school youth is not prioritised in any of the zero-rated platforms. And this is cause for serious concern. “We have seen a drastic reduction in the jobs available for the youth; young people should use this time to focus on learning a new skill and develop soft skills to increase the chance of finding employment post social distancing,” says Jaryd Raizon, CEO of graduate recruitment platform Trusted Interns. Twenty-eight-year-old Tumi from Johannesburg echoes Jaryd’s views: “As young people, we need to prepare ourselves for the loss of jobs and economic impact of Covid-19. Upskilling now could ensure you stand out from the crowd when things return to normal, but with the current data costs and lack of internet infrastructure in poor areas, that’s just not the case.” With 56% of South Africans living on less than R41 a day, data doesn’t fall into the core basket of affordable essentials for the majority of households. Even with price reductions, data prices remain high for the average South African. Moreover, the process so far has focused on negotiations with individual mobile network operators, and not a co-ordinated, industry-wide approach towards securing universal access to information and services to all South Africans, regardless of the colour of their SIM cards. Lindokuhle comments that not everyone can afford a gig of data because they have other needs. In South Africa, looking for work is unaffordable for most young job-seekers, who spend an average of R550 a month job hunting, with data being one of the biggest contributors to this hefty sum. Many young people in the Youth Capital network admit they can look for work only when they have the money to do so. And with eight million young people (aged 15 to 35) unemployed and not in education, employment or training (NEET), we simply cannot afford for our young people not to have the means to look for work. Recognising that price reduction on its own will not have a sufficient effect, the Competition Commission urged network operators to deliver a lifeline package of daily free data to all users to allow uninterrupted data access, regardless of income levels, while leveraging the increasing smartphone penetration. But the response received so far will not assist young people use this time productively. A unified approach to zero-rating has the potential to unlock access to digital opportunities and information. A much-needed solution is freeing up all the education and upskilling content produced by public benefit organisations rather than a selection of content that is network-specific. This requires alignment and co-operation between the government and network operators, as a true example of social compacts in response to sudden changes in our society. If the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us anything, it’s the power of technology to connect, educate and empower — but in South Africa, your access to digital resources still depends on which cell phone service provider you’re linked to and how much data you can afford. Let’s take the lesson and push for universal access, including for a generation of young people who are stuck at home and hungry to learn.
CELLC

South Africa’s digital divide detrimental to the youth

Without the means to leverage lockdown as a time to grow, Covid-19 reinforces how access to data remains a barrier to young people’s progress

  • Kristal Duncan-Williams
5 min read
Hands on: South Africans have been told to prioritise hygiene, such as using soap and sanitisers (above) to wash their hands. There is concern, however, about infections spreading in densely populated, impoverished areas where access to water is limited and healthcare facilities are already strained. (Guillem Sartorio/AFP)
AFRICA

To fight Covid-19 in Africa, we must fight inequality

Our global health is only as strong as our most vulnerable community. The coronavirus pandemic can be defeated — but only if we leave no one behind

  • Oumar Seydi
6 min read
Swab duty: Test samples are delivered to a laboratory in Boston. In South Africa, labs are racing to catch up on the large backlog distorting the national Covid-19 picture. (Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
CAMILLE LOCHT

Covid-19 vaccine testing in vulnerable populations must be guided by ethics

The fallouts from unethical experiments include distrust of public health officials and poor participation in research studies by members of vulnerable populations. People…

  • Akpabio Akpabio
  • Utibe Effiong
3 min read
Despite the long history of medical racism, any potential Covid-19 vaccines must be tested in Africa — but not only on the continent. (Reuters)
AFRICA

My late uncle, and the ethics of clinical trials in Africa

Despite the long history of medical racism, any potential Covid-19 vaccines must be tested in Africa — but not only on the continent

  • Lydia Namubiru, The Continent
6 min read