‘Covid-19: Business sets up project management office to collaborate with government’ 23 March 2020

The business sector said it is proactively collaborating with government to reduce the economic, social and health effects of Covid-19. Business Unity South Africa (Busa) said it, the Black Business Council (BBC) and other companies met President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday as part of a multi-stakeholder engagement on Covid-19. “Business has rapidly mobilised to combine its resources in the service of South Africa and its people to limit the economic, social and health effects of Covid-19 on the country,” said Busa in a statement. The organisation said the business sector had established a project management office to ensure collaboration with government and to use available business resources and capacity to support public-sector initiatives.

…The health work-stream, the organisation said, was focused on mobilising resources to contribute to Covid-19 tracing, tracking, testing, monitoring and pathology labs; communicating about Covid-19; hospital responses and personal protective equipment (PPE), medicines and medical devices; and supporting the national health department with capabilities to enable more specific demographic resource deployment.

…“The economic work-stream will, inter alia, identify critical sectors in the national response; help develop policy and industry specific interventions, including tax and loan relief; ensure security of critical supplies and energy; model the economic impact of Covid-19; and combat predatory pricing, rent seeking and panic buying…“It will also be encouraging good practice to preserve and support employees, environment and workplace hygiene, and collaboration with regulators, especially in high-risk sectors.”