Durban Chamber comments on level 1 announcement

FOLLOWING the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa to ease lockdown restrictions and move the country to alert level 1, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomes the re-opening of the economy.

Commenting on the announcement, president, Nigel Ward, said over the past six months, Covid-19 has disrupted supply chains, weakened global demand, contracted SA’s GDP by 51 per cent and crippled the export sector.

The move to alert level 1 will see all major sectors such as manufacturing, mining, construction, financial services, business services, information technology, government services and media services begin to gain momentum.

“The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomes the easing of restrictions on gatherings and international travel. We are optimistic that the move to alert level 1 will help generate revenue for KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism and hospitality sector as well as ease the stress already experienced by the shrinking economy,” said Ward.

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He said tourism, the second most important export sector in the economy, is a vital contributor to Durban’s economy, and the Chamber believes the opening of the international tourism sector will have a positive effect on local businesses as well as provide job security to local communities.

“The pandemic has had a profound impact particularly on the global tourism sector which placed thousands of businesses and jobs at risk,” he said.

Ward said the Durban Chamber of Commerce also notes the announcement of the reconstruction and recovery plan announced by President Ramaphosa.

He said even though the worst of the pandemic is behind us, business operations and economic recovery will take a long while to return to normal.

“We believe there needs to be further meaningful engagement with the private sector to ensure all plans devised are inclusive and responsive to business needs. We therefore urge government to move quickly to outline the measures contained in the plan which will help build confidence, restore growth, and rebuild the economy,” he said.  

Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.  

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