Alert Leve 4 restrictions: Businesses need more financial support to save jobs
15 July 2021
We welcome the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the reopening of the UIF Covid-19 TERS scheme which we have been calling for and which will be a lifeline to many businesses and employees in South Africa.
Of course, the devil is in the detail and so we await further information from the Department of Employment and Labour on the specific criteria for the disbursement of these critical funds.
The fact is that the UIF Covid-19 TERS scheme will not go far enough to support businesses and their employees during this difficult time.
Many businesses, particularly in the hospitality and liquor sectors have already been hard-hit with significant job losses during the Covid-19 pandemic. This has been compounded by weeks of no income under the Alert Level 4 restrictions and by the ongoing restrictions on the liquor sector. The recent public unrest has also severely impacted businesses who have been damaged by looting or forced to close as a precautionary measure.