The Covid-19 virus is causing unprecedented uncertainty on a global scale. An economist from the North-West University (NWU) says the impact of the pandemic is expected to be greater than that of the Spanish flu of a century ago.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has seen unprecedented economic disruptions during the last few months.

According to North-West University (NWU) professor of Economics at the NWU Business School, Prof Ravinder Rena, it will take a very long time for the country’s economy to recover meaningfully after the measures introduced by government to curb the spread of the global virus.

‘President Cyril Ramaphosa’s additional economic support package to address the fallout on the economy from Covid-19 represents a highly substantial raft of measures designed to assist distressed businesses, households and individuals, adding up to about 10% of South Africa’s GDP.”

“The South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB’s) surprise decision to cut interest rates by another 100 basis points is a welcome move. This will help to support the South African economy as it grapples with a rapidly deteriorating situation as a result of the extended Covid-19 lockdown.”

* 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.