Almost 75% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will not survive a lockdown that lasts longer than between one and three months, according to a research report released this week
This is according to a research report, The Impact of Covid-19 on SMEs, which was released this week by financial services group Sasfin and sme.africa, an online platform for small businesses.The report indicated that 7% of them had already laid off personnel; 53% said it had not been necessary yet, but that layoffs were unavoidable. Only 40% said they did not think it would be necessary to lay off personnel.
A new initiative, Say Siyabonga, was launched this week, allowing people to buy gift cards from, for example, restaurants, which could be redeemed after the lockdown The aim was to give businesses that had ground to a halt during the lockdown a way of generating income. In terms of the package, Sakeliga would give the business a 50% subsidy for a tailored legal opinion about essential business activities, as well as a certificate containing all the necessary information, subject to the regulations, needed to remain open.
In the application, which will be heard in the Johannesburg High Court on April 28, Solidarity argued that the department’s refusal to disclose the guidelines contravened the Promotion of Access to Information Act.
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