Thursday, July 7, 2022
  • Login
Upgrade
The Southern African Times
  • Home
  • Southern Africa
  • Global
  • Business
    • African Start ups
    • African Continental Free Trade Area
  • Tech
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Culture
    • Food and Drink
    • Entertainment
  • SAT Jobs
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Southern Africa
  • Global
  • Business
    • African Start ups
    • African Continental Free Trade Area
  • Tech
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Culture
    • Food and Drink
    • Entertainment
  • SAT Jobs
No Result
View All Result
The Southern African Times
No Result
View All Result
Home Just In

South Africa’s president and ministers are taking a 33% pay cut and extended its lockdown

by SAT Reporter
April 10, 2020
in Just In
0
South Africa’s president and ministers are taking a 33% pay cut and extended its lockdown
0
VIEWS

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa and ministers will take a 33% pay cut for the next three months, and the money will be diverted towards social and economic relief measures to help the country weather the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramaphosa on Thursday said the country would extend its original 21-day national lockdown, instituted on Mar. 27, until the end of April. “Unless we hold to this course for a little longer, the coronavirus pandemic will engulf, and ultimately consume, our country,” he said in a live address to the nation.

While one of the most developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa has the highest number of HIV infections in the world, with about 7.7-million people living with the disease. Authorities are worried that Covid-19, which has already claimed more than 85,000 lives worldwide, will ravage the country’s vulnerable population and that its already beleaguered healthcare system will buckle under the weight of severe Covid-19 cases. To date South Africa has confirmed 1845 cases and 18 deaths from the viral disease.

However, the economic situation in the country is dire. The South African economy contracted in the last quarter of last year, and the World Bank now predictsthat the Covid-19 pandemic will push the whole of sub-Saharan Africa into a recession.

An economic stimulus package was one of the three pillars of South Africa’s Covid-19 response strategy, Ramaphosa said. The country would also intensify its public health response to slow down and reduce infections, and would increase social support to poor and vulnerable households.

South Africa’s Unemployment Insurance Fund has set aside 40 billion rand ($2.24 billion) to assist employees who cannot work due to Covid-19 restrictions, and has already paid out 356 million rand, Ramaphosa said. The state had also made 500 million rand available for small business debt relief reprioritized 1.2 billion rand ($67 million) to provide relief for smallholder farmers to contribute to national food security, he said.

Ramaphosa encouraged businesses and citizens to contribute to the Solidarity Fund, a fund to buffer the population from the effects of Covid-19. So far 2.2 billion rand had been raised, he said. Of that, 1 billion rand had been set aside to purchase sterile gloves, face shields, surgical masks, test kits and ventilators. The country has an ambitious plan to begin manufacturing ventilators locally, with a target of 10,000 ventilators by the end of June.

The president also said that he and his deputy, as well as ministers and deputy ministers, would donate a third of their salaries to the Solidarity Fund. South Africa has one of the world’s largest ministerial cabinets, with 28 ministers and 34 deputies. The US, whose population is almost six times larger than South Africa’s, has 15 Cabinet members.

Malawi’s president and his cabinet said they’d be taking a 10% pay cut to help the country fund its response the pandemic.

Previous Post

Coronavirus: Zimbabwean doctors file lawsuit against the government over lack of protective equipment

Next Post

Saudi, Russia outline record oil cut under U.S. pressure as demand crashes

SAT Reporter

Related Posts

UK-funded low carbon technology programme calling for proposals in South Africa

UK-funded low carbon technology programme calling for proposals in South Africa

by SAT Reporter
July 6, 2022
JPMorgan warns oil prices could surge 240%
Business

JPMorgan warns oil prices could surge 240%

by SAT Reporter
July 4, 2022
15 African countries with the highest defense budgets in 2022
Just In

15 African countries with the highest defense budgets in 2022

by SAT Reporter
July 2, 2022
Key to Unlocking Major Investment in Africa – Better Data

Key to Unlocking Major Investment in Africa – Better Data

by SAT Reporter
July 2, 2022
Key takeaways from CBN’s new cybersecurity guidelines for Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) in Nigeria

Key takeaways from CBN’s new cybersecurity guidelines for Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) in Nigeria

by SAT Reporter
July 1, 2022
Next Post
Saudi, Russia outline record oil cut under U.S. pressure as demand crashes

Saudi, Russia outline record oil cut under U.S. pressure as demand crashes

Premium Content

Young Entrepreneurs as Agents of Change in Upper Egypt

Young Entrepreneurs as Agents of Change in Upper Egypt

March 2, 2020

President says one person infected 533 with coronavirus at Ghana fish factory

May 12, 2020
African Development Bank  Vice Presidents and Director General on official visit to Botswana and Zimbabwe

African Development Bank Vice Presidents and Director General on official visit to Botswana and Zimbabwe

April 5, 2022

Browse by Category

  • African Continental Free Trade Area
  • African Start ups
  • Algeria
  • Analysis
  • Angola
  • Asia
  • BOTSWANA
  • Botswana
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Business
  • Business
  • Cameroon
  • Central Africa
  • China
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Changev
  • Congo Republic
  • COVID 19
  • Culture
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Eastern Africa
  • Egypt
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Ethiopia
  • Europe
  • Fashion
  • Finance
  • Food
  • Food and Drink
  • Foods
  • Ghana
  • Global
  • Guinea
  • Health
  • Immigration
  • in Southern Africa
  • International news
  • Just In
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Libya
  • Life Style
  • Lifestyle
  • Malawi
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Markets
  • Middle East
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nigeria
  • North Africa
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Rwanda
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Sports
  • Startup Africa
  • STOCK EXCHANGE
  • Tanzania
  • Tech
  • Togo
  • Travel
  • Travel
  • Tunisia
  • Uganda
  • Uncategorized
  • West Africa
  • World
  • World
  • ZAMBIA
  • Zambia
  • ZIMBABWE
  • Zimbabwe

Browse by Tags

africa African business news Africa New Africa News african footballer African investments African manufacturing industry african markets African news African start-up banking Business China Classic Content currency Explore Bali Finance football Life Style Markets Market Stories Namibia news Nigeria oil and gas Oilandgas Opinion Pandemic Politics Premium reserve bank of Zambia Russia South Africa Southern African News sports Stay Home Travel United Stated Vaccine Work From Home Wuhan Zambia Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Harare Manufacturing Africa Employment creationn

WHO WE ARE

The Southern African Times is a regional bloc digital newspaper that covers Southern African and the world news. The paper also gives a nuanced analysis on news and covers a wide range of reporting which include sports, entertainment, foreign affairs, arts and culture.

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Rss

Copyright © 2022 The Southern African Times | Powered by The Southern African Times

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

  • Home
  • Southern Africa
  • Global
  • Business
    • African Start ups
    • African Continental Free Trade Area
  • Tech
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Culture
    • Food and Drink
    • Entertainment
  • SAT Jobs

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?