Christo says: Jobs, jobs, jobs! The clarion call

[{“type”:”text”,”content”:”*South Africa has experienced a sharp decline in growth and a significant increase in unemployment (over the past year). Poverty is on the rise. Inequality is deepening. In the third quarter of 2020, (the) economy was 6% smaller than it was in the last quarter of 2019. There were 1.7 million fewer people employed in the third quarter of 2020 than there were in the first quarter before the pandemic struck. Our unemployment rate now stands at a staggering 30.8%.*nnSome of the immediate social interventions announced by the president included the extension of the period for the special Covid-19 grant of R350 by a further three months and the Covid-19 TERS benefit until 15 March 2021 u2013 only for those sectors that have not been able to open and operate.n nWhile these social interventions and other forms of aid are laudable, it is not sustainable. The fiscus is facing serious fiscal challenges against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on many economic sectors. The latest restrictions, and especially the ban on alcohol sales, have compounded the fiscal challenges for National Treasury.”,”position”:0,”id”:”CCXPQDimqRfZlIJ5″}]