Since March 2020…..Covid -19 has cost many providers their livelihoods….
Freelancers can be categorized as full-time independent contractors, temp workers employed by staffing firms, gig workers, project-based workers, self-employed business owners, and people working in a mix of these areas and in traditional employment. Yet in some countries like the USA we have also seen a growth in the number people doing it on their own from a home office… temping for companies reliant on telephony services as well as the financial services industry- as more and more of these services begin offerings on virtual or telephonic platforms. 

Trucking companies have called on government to sort out the severe and adverse congestion on the Maputo Corridor that has seen them lose over R 1.3 billon a year. Companies say the congestion is due to long delays in crossing the border due to lack of a 24 hour service amongst others. The queue of trucks between Komatipoort and Lebombo is reportedly about 7 and 15km long on a regular basis. Meanwhile yesterday trucks closed off the highway in both directions since the early hours of this morning, forcing a lengthy traffic backlog. The South African Cargo Transport Drivers Association claims that truck drivers who have blocked the highway, are protesting against the employment of foreign drivers

South Africa has the biggest HIV epidemic in the world, with 7.7 million people living with the virus. South Africa has also made huge improvements in getting people to test for HIV in recent years. It has now met the first of the 90-90-90 targets, with 90% of people living with HIV aware of their status in 2018. However, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and responses to it, there was a substantial decline in the number of HIV-infected individuals starting treatment in South Africa. South African health technology startup Aviro has unveiled a digital health service to improve the current situation and to continue the fight against the HIV epidemic.

Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to plague communities across South Africa. Higher education institutions are not immune to this alarming trend of sexual violence, with increasing incidents being reported across our campuses and their surrounds frequently. Dr Ruby-Ann Levendal of Nelson Mandela University says although greater awareness about GBV exists both in society and in higher education institutions, there has been a chronic lack of policy implementation at higher education institutions.

Health Minister Doctor Joe Phaahla, says there is a possibility of an inter-provincial travel ban this festive season as a result of the rising number of COVID-19 infections. More than 2-thousand 8-hundred cases were recorded today, with 12 deaths. More than 80-percent of the new infections are in Gauteng. However the Health Department says the new variant is spreading rapidly across the country

The South African government will hold high level talks this weekend on how to respond to the new Coronavirus variant. There are already concerns of a possible national lockdown -- and how this could have a devastating impact on local and international travel as well as tourism. The United Kingdom has already imposed a travel ban on visitors from six southern African countries, including South Africa. Meanwhile,  The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has extended the filing season deadline for non-provisional individual taxpayers from Tuesday until 2 December 2021. Sars says they was pleased with the overwhelming response from taxpayers who had submitted personal income tax returns since July and are acutely aware of systemic issues, as well as the impact of load shedding on taxpayers, which may have made it difficult for taxpayers to file returns

There has been an increase of over a thousand murders in South Africa between July and September this year, compared to the same period last year. This is an increase of just pover 20 percent. These figures were revealed during the release of the second quarter crime statistics, to members of parliament's Police Portfolio Committee. So has attempted murder, rape, and assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm

World soccer governing body FIFA has confirmed that it will review South Africa's appeal for a replay with Ghana in World Cup qualifying. The South African Football Association has demanded an investigation after Bafana Bafana lost one-nil in a qualifier in a controversial fashion against Ghana, prompting SAFA officials to suspect the involvement of match-fixing. Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon and other teams in Africa have all got their place in the World Cup playoffs in March. But Ghana's presence in the final round of 10 World cup hopefuls from Africa.... remains uncertain. The Ghana Football Association has confirmed via statement that they will subject themselves to the FIFA process

November is celebrated globally as Disability Awareness Month. It is estimated that 10% of the global population live with disabilities. While their able-bodied peers enjoy access to quality education and employment opportunities, people with disabilities receive less support and are often excluded from schooling, employment and broader society. The Deputy Director and Head of Universal Accessibility and Disability Services at Nelson Mandela University, Nosiphiwo Delubom is of the view that the Department of Basic Education does little to ensure that learners with invisible disabilities are identified, assessed and supported. She says It is concerning that learners who show signs of learning disabilities, aren't being identified in primary and high school, especially those in townships and rural areas. Delubom further says they are often pushed through to the next grade, then struggle to deal with challenges and reach their goals in the transition to tertiary education.

Old flames and new faves".  #HappinessEverAfter brings together Khanyi Mbau, Renate Stuurman and Nambitha Ben-Mazwi for this tale of sisterhood, love and self-discovery. Released on Netflix this past Wednesday November 10th, the sequel to "Happiness is a Four-Letter Word" finds Zaza, Princess and Zim living new chapters of their lives amid loss, family grudges and new love. If you have not seen it yet, here is a little taste of what to expect....