Early Breakfast with Africa Melane

The International Monetary Fund has approved South Africa’s request for emergency financial support for an amount of US$4.3 billion to help the country mitigate the social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The IMF funding is a low interest loan that contributes to the government's fiscal relief package while respecting South Africa’s decisions on how best to provide relief to the economy and those worst affected by the current crisis.  A debt ceiling would set a self-imposed limit on how much the government can borrow. With an expenditure ceiling already in place, the budget process will take place within very tight constraints. 

Guest: Oscar Van Heerden, International Relations Scholar and Political Commentator 

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast

Topic: IMF debt ceiling 

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A survey conducted by debt counselling firm, Debt Rescue, has found that 96% of their client base surveyed were stressed about their health, finances or both. 85% of the respondents said their finances were directly impacted by Covid-19 and they needed financial and emotional help. The survey was on social media platforms, including Facebook and LinkedIn. It ran over a period of 2 weeks and ended mid-July 2020.  The purpose of the survey was to establish the impact of Covid-19 on consumers. Various questions were asked, relating to financial and emotional impact. The survey was completed by 1040 participants.

Guest: Annaline Van Der Poel, COO at Debt Rescue 

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast

Topic: Covid-19 survey: Financial and emotional help needed

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Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has unveiled a locally assembled electric car from Marathon Motor, a joint venture between Korean auto giant Hyundai and Haile Gebreselassie, most famous for his achievements as a long-distance runner. The prime minister's office said that the project came about after Mr Abiy convinced Hyundai's CEO to establish an electric car assembly plant.  

 

Topics: From the Continent: Ethiopia Unveils First Locally Assembled Electric Car 

Guest: Sokhu Sibiya, Editor - Africa.com

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KwaZulu-Natal has registered 20 000 positive Covid-19 cases in just one week. KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala says the surge is continuing, with the eThekwini and uMgungundlovu districts recording more than half of the daily cases.  In terms of the national numbers of confirmed Covid-19 cases, KZN has the fourth highest tally countrywide.  The Premier has urged the residents to make use of the quarantine facilities made available by the government. He added that the province has over 16 000 beds available. More than 3 000 of those are isolated.

Guest: Dr. Jody Boffa, Research Fellow at Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal 

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast 

Topics: Spike in Covid-19 cases in KZN

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43% of South Africans said that they would be comfortable traveling internationally.  Travelers are looking forward to setting off, with 35% of respondents indicating they would like to travel as soon as possible after restrictions are lifted, 25% reporting they would travel within 1 to 3 months, 21% within 4 to 6 months and 15% within 7 to 12 months.  Ideal local travel destinations or experiences saw beach holidays topping the list, followed by bush breaks, the Garden Route, then mountain adventures, and exploring a city. Somewhat surprisingly, only 10% opted for a camping holiday.  The Western Cape is the number one province South Africans want to visit when interprovincial travel is permitted, with KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape following behind.

Guest: Bianca Mazur, General Manager at Flight Centre 

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast 

Topics: Are South Africans ready to travel?

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Topics: From the Continent: New Online Course from Harvard Teaches Africans How to Build Scalable Businesses to Solve African Problems

Guest: Sokhu Sibiya, Editor - Africa.com

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The Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools says schools are allowed by law to reopen before the 24 August date given by the government.   On Thursday evening, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that all public schools would close from today (Monday) for four weeks, with Grade 12s and grade 7s returning a few weeks earlier. Ramaphosa said the decision to close schools for four weeks followed consultations with various entities on how to balance both the academic needs of school children as well as safeguarding their health.

 Guest: Paul Colditz, CEO at Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools 

Topic: Schools allowed to open ahead of 24 August - FEDSAS

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast

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During the Covid-19 pandemic, many companies have made provisions for their staff to work from home. This often takes away the need for office space. Is office occupancy declining because people are working from home, is it a case of moving to smaller premises or are people looking forward to getting back to the office?

Guest: Sean Berowsky, Head of Investments and Broking at Broll Properties 

Topic: Will office space become a thing of the past?

Host: Africa Melane, Early Breakfast

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According to Corruption Watch, the most common forms of corruption in the country are employment corruption which is at 39%, procurement corruption at 29% and the misappropriation of resources at 16%.  In relation to employment corruption in the health sector, the Northern Cape leads the pack with 55% reports. Mpumalanga is hot on their heels with 51%. The province with the lowest employment corruption is Limpopo with 27%. Issues relating to employment corruption include allegations of nepotism and time claimed for work not done. 

Guest: Melusi Ncala, Researcher at Corruption Watch 

Topics: Corruption Watch: SA health care sector critical

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