The View Point

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is in support of a much wider opening of the economy, and it will also challenge the nationwide curfew in its submissions to the government's risk-adjusted strategy. The opposition party said the move to level 4 of the lockdown is intended to allow more economy activity to take place – but is not distinguished enough from level 5. In the beginning of April, the party's Policy Unit worked with healthcare and financial experts, policy specialists, and its shadow cabinet to devise a sustainable and flexible Smart Lockdown to supplement government’s Codic-19 response effort.

Guest: John Steenhuisen - DA Parliamentary Leader

Why should executive in corporate South Africa follow suit and pledge their remuneration like executive from other international companies?
Well, Firstly, South Africa is one of the most unequal societies in the world, with the world’s largest Gini co-efficient. Secondly, business purpose is moving quickly from ‘making profits for shareholders’ to a ‘new social contract to address shared social and environmental problems’. Thirdly, an executive pay cut would show solidarity with employees who are affected more drastically by wage cuts.
But how have companies responded to the suggestion of executive pay cuts while the world grapples with Covid-19? Should this be on a volunteering basis or should companies force executives to take a pay cut

Guest: Mr Craig Raath, the Executive Director at 21st Century

Last night President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a social relief and economic support package of R500 billion, which amounts to 10% of the GDP. R50 billion this money will be directed towards relieving the plight of the unemployed and current grant beneficiaries, through a multi-pronged approach. R20 billion will be directed to efforts to address the pandemic. R100 billion will be set aside for the protection of jobs and to create jobs. R40 billion has been set aside for income support payments for workers whose employers are not able to pay their wages. And an additional amount of R2 billion will be made available to assist SMEs and spaza shop owners and other small businesses.

Guest: Mr Michael Bagraim, a labour law attorney with Bagraims Attorneys.

Guest: Dr Thabile Sokupa, Director for Strategic Projects in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Western Cape

Guest: Mr Andile Nomlala, President of the Black Management Forum

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, will conduct a joint survey looking at how COVID-19 is impacting on health workers. Health workers are on the frontlines of the global fight against COVID-19. Across the world, with South Africa being no exception, health workers have also been infected by the virus. With this in mind, the HSRC and UKZN’s School of Medicine would like to understand how the virus is affecting South African health workers – both physically and emotionally.

Guest: Dr Sizulu Moyo - Research director in the Human Sciences Research Council's Human and Social Capabilities Programme

It is important that we drawback to the geographic arrangements of provinces, facilities and infrastructure when analysing and preparing for the coronavirus. We focus our attention on the Eastern Cape Province and they are sitting at over 280 confirmed cases of COVID-19. This province is one of South Africa’s poorest provinces and it has seen high rates of chronic diseases over the years, which has put strain on the healthcare system. Now that the virus has hit this part of our country, should we be hopeful that government will be able to handle the situation or do we have reason to panic?

Guest: Mr Oscar Mabuyane - Premier of the Eastern Cape Province

Guest: Dr Luvuyo Bayeni - Technical adviser to Eastern Cape Health MEC (Sindiswa Gomba)

COVID-19 has profoundly disrupted every aspect of daily life across the globe. Of course, no one has it easy, but the young people in their final year of school and those who have just started a new chapter of their lives as university students will be feeling the challenges of the global pandemic in a unique way.
On the tip of putting their school days behind them and entering into a new world where they carve out their futures as adults, they now find themselves in a potentially long-lasting limbo.

Guest: Ashley Motene - an Industrial Psychologist and the Management and Leadership Academic Programme Developer at SACAP (South African College of Applied Psychology)

Dr Linda Meyer, Director of Operations and Sector Support at Universities South Africa provides insights into the challenges facing tertiary education; how Universities South Africa views the current academic situation and the infrastructure in place for students and teachers. Has the current academic year been compromised or can it be salvaged? What are some of the possible solutions to addressing these issues?

Guest: Dr Linda Meyer, Director of Operations and Sector Support at Universities South Africa.

With many businesses suddenly forced to rely on the internet to operate during the national lockdown, it is now more crucial than ever for web users to correctly understand the extent of their security vulnerabilities in order to implement the right protective measures against cyberattacks. A public webinar hosted by Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, aimed at addressing the impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups in relation to GBV was hijacked by hackers. The video conference took an unexpected and twisted turn when images of pornography were displayed at the department’s expense. This is not the first case of a major entity being affected by a cyber hacker during the Lockdown.
With no IT department in sight or support from webmasters, how can we ‘DIY’ cyber security during this lockdown?

Guest: Carey Van Vlaanderen, the CEO of ESET

Guest: Garsen Naidu, SA country manager for Cisco (IT and networking company)

Do African nations have as much reason to fear Covid-19 as regions where so much of the population is older? According to Professor Alex Broadbent, the biggest public health risk in Africa is not Covid-19, but the consequences of regional and global measures designed to reduce its effect on public health. He further says, when we lock down, we are making a choice - we are saving the lives of some older people, and causing the deaths of some younger peo--ple, especially children, who are most at risk of malnutrition and diseases of poverty.

Guest: Prof Alex Broadbent, Director of the Institute for the Future of Knowledge and professor of philosophy at the University of Johannesburg

The South African Democratic Teacher’s Union – SADTU, has spoken out against the Department of Basic Education’s use of celebrities in the new STEM Lockdown Digital School and the Lockdown Book Reading club that was introduced by the department. They argue that there are many unemployed and retired teachers who could have been utilized in this programme.

Guest: Gerald Williamson, an Educationist, Clinical Psychologist, Director at Shaping The Learner

Guest: Xolisa Guzula, Language and literacy studies lecturer at UCT