Oppenheimer support for SMMEs during COVID-19 outbreak praised by Archbishop Tutu
Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer, the South African businessmen who formerly ran diamond giant De Beers, and mining company Anglo American, have stepped in to help struggling businesses in South Africa amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In a joint statement released on Monday, the pair pledged R1bn “to extend a financial lifeline to employees of Small, Medium, and Micro-sized Enterprises”.
Their aim is to “mitigate the immediate economic impact of this pandemic, by keeping companies in business and protecting jobs”.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu described the donation as “a wonderful affirmation of the human family that we are”, as the move was widely praised by small business owners right across the country.
Kabela Thago, who owns a retail store outside Midrand, said of the donation, “It is small businesses like ours right across South Africa that pay salaries to employees living really tough lives anyway. This donation of R1bn will literally save the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our society at a time of their greatest hardship”.
Lawmakers across the world have had to balance health concerns with potential economic downturn as they seek to battle the Covid-19 outbreak.
Fears of a worldwide economic recession brought on by the coronavirus have meant a number of governments have stopped short of ordering total lockdowns, though more and more appear to be taking that step.
Most Europeans are now unable to leave their homes, with the UK the latest to join the growing list on Monday.
There is great concern that Africa, currently behind the rest of the world in terms of its number of cases, would not be able to cope with a Europe-style outbreak considering the continent’s weak economic and health infrastructure.
Wealthy individuals from the private business sphere are increasingly offering to help.
Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire and founder of online retailer Alibaba, has donated over 1 million testing kits, 6 million face masks and 60,000 protective suits to Africa, which arrived in Ethiopia on Monday.
There are now growing calls for large corporations and wealthy individuals throughout Africa to offer what resources they can against the challenges that many national governments face.
In East Africa, no major private donors have stepped in to assist the ongoing efforts to contain the virus as of yet, as fears mount over the alarming proliferation of new cases in the region.
Photo: Luxatic