* A realistic, optimistic plan of action is needed

“The coronavirus pandemic is a health war that has led to an economic war, so South Africa requires a multidimensional plan to survive.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly shown us what it means to live in unprecedented times. In the following opinion piece, Michelle Groenewald – a lecturer in economics at the North-West University (NWU) – shares her views on some encouraging measures that have taken place of late. She asks the question: can South Africans demand a better tomorrow?

A development economist from the North-West University (NWU) says for South Africa to survive the current coronavirus pandemic, the current lockdown must be a success and the virus must be brought under control by the end of April.

Students from the North-West University again showed why superlatives follow its chartered accounting programme like a shadow when the latest South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) ITC results were released on Friday 27 March.

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally disrupted teaching-learning activities in South Africa and across the globe. It also challenges how we think about education and assessment, in general.

“President Cyril Ramaphosa’s lockdown of South Africa to combat the Covid-19 virus comes at the right time,” says an economist of the NWU Business School.

“The decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to cut the repo rate by 100 basis points is the right one, and will help mitigate the risks of Covid-19 to the South African economy.”

Two economists of the North-West University (NWU) say that inflation is expected to continue on an upward trend this month, while the cost of production is also expected to continue to rise as a result of the global uncertainty and supply chain problems.

“Market trends and other economic data confirm that the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19) now poses a clear and present danger to the South African economy. The ripple effects from the economic dislocation elsewhere and the immense volatility in financial markets have already reached South Africa.”

North-West University (NWU) honours student in business statistics Ketsane Benson Nkuna has been announced as one of the winners of the South African Statistical Association (SASA) Bursary and Scholarship competition for 2019.