Tag: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The furore around the awarding of a contract to a politically connected individual’s company shows that government has not yet accepted its role as custodian of good governance for South Africa Inc, and the extent of public disenchantment with perceived corruption.

Following the endless stream of COVID-19 headlines, extended lockdowns and associated economic hardships, we are all suffering from Armageddon fatigue. It is easy to become pessimistic in the face of the very real challenges we are grappling with.

Many companies have long engaged in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes involving sustainability, ethics and social impact that aim to give back to society. South African business is no different and, now more than ever, CSR is a must have for businesses wanting to protect their brand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps, the real brand risk currently is for business not to act.

The commercial real estate industry has welcomed a positive upturn since level 3 of lockdown. One particular sector that is making waves and has seen a noticeable spike in activity over this period is undoubtedly industrial real estate. This uptake can be attributed to the both the stringent hygiene measures now required in the workplace and the changing nature of retail.

Employees returning to work from the COVID-19 lockdown will need to show reasonable justification if they halt work on the basis that they are exposed to the virus. Legal provisions allowing employees to withdraw from a hazardous working situation could, in the context of COVID-19, be open to abuse by unprincipled employees or trades unions.

Manufacturers and distributors are operating in intensely pressured times. Stats SA reported that manufacturing output contracted for the ninth consecutive month in February of 2020 with the full extent of the damage caused by COVID-19 and the nationwide lockdown still unknown.

The scale of the national COVID-19 lockdown is unprecedented in living memory. The repercussions – personal, professional, national and international – will reverberate for years to come. As entrepreneurs, we need to be making the right decisions for right now to ensure that our businesses and our people’s livelihoods do not become another casualty of the virus. 

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has recognised the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak and provided special guidelines that will apply during the pandemic. The HPCSA will continue to operate, but with restrictions.

On 29 April 2020, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, published regulations in terms of the National Disaster Management Act which regulate the Alert Level 4 conditions during the COVID-19 national disaster.

Business owners need to ensure that their workspaces are properly cleaned and thoroughly cleansed before employees report for duty once the lockdown has been lifted. It is expected that large numbers of workers will be able to return to work, but it is critical to ensure that their workspaces are properly cleansed and that hygiene measures are kept at the highest possible level to prevent the possible transmission of the coronavirus.