21-day nationwide lockdown announced for South Africa

[Bryn]

Would be cool if South Africa manufactured more products locally than what we import. There's a huge gap in the market there.

It's not up to manufacturers. It's up to the government to make South Africa less terrible to manufacture in.

The number of manufacturers has sharply declined in recent years. The margins are ridiculously thin thanks to having to compete with the price of cheap substitute products from overseas sweatshops, which our top retailers are more than happy to switch to if they would save so much as 50 cents per item. And they hold that over their suppliers constantly, and everyone lives in fear at being dropped suddenly. If you so much as miss a delivery slot you'll be fined R50k, but they can scale back their orders to almost zero without warning or just drop you altogether.

And the reason manufacturers are so vulnerable is because of the cost of what unions get up to, the damage caused during strikes, BEE requirements, the cost of massive generators, the cost of importing so many materials due to local producers going out of business, the holdups at customs, generally unproductive labour, the fluctuating exchange rate, the cost of security etc. It's just endless crap that mostly doesn't apply if you just move your business out of SA. Which is why so many have, and why most of those that did not regret it desperately.

 

[NeonNinja]

Many of our local shops are now offering a delivery service, the elderly that I know of are making use of this. Can see plenty of staff in SPAR picking orders etc.

My grandma lives about 20KM from town. In the rural.

 

[IndigoIdentity]

Good luck with that. Did an online order at WW today, earliest delivery 11 April.

To my own understanding, the newly arranged services in my area and are focussed around providing a service to the elderly / pensioners. I imagine in areas where this is offered to anyone that they would be unable to cope with the influx of orders.

 

[tin4444]

Will see how the government enforces this, as the people I have spoken said they will operate as normal!

Ours has taken this view, we do deliver an essential medical/health related requirement. But that is only one section of our business. Based on that, they believe it’s normal operations and all staff need to be at work, warehouse drivers and office staff.

 

[Quicks]

Ours has taken this view, we do deliver an essential medical/health related requirement. But that is only one section of our business. Based on that, they believe it’s normal operations and all staff need to be at work, warehouse drivers and office staff.

This is the same stuff I hear ALL over even though it is not really essential as per say, but will be pushing other ways around it.

 

[|tera|]

It's not up to manufacturers. It's up to the government to make South Africa less terrible to manufacture in.

The number of manufacturers has sharply declined in recent years. The margins are ridiculously thin thanks to having to compete with the price of cheap substitute products from overseas sweatshops, which our top retailers are more than happy to switch to if they would save so much as 50 cents per item. And they hold that over their suppliers constantly, and everyone lives in fear at being dropped suddenly. If you so much as miss a delivery slot you'll be fined R50k, but they can scale back their orders to almost zero without warning or just drop you altogether.

And the reason manufacturers are so vulnerable is because of the cost of what unions get up to, the damage caused during strikes, BEE requirements, the cost of massive generators, the cost of importing so many materials due to local producers going out of business, the holdups at customs, generally unproductive labour, the fluctuating exchange rate, the cost of security etc. It's just endless crap that mostly doesn't apply if you just move your business out of SA. Which is why so many have, and why most of those that did not regret it desperately.

It's unfortunate that those issues do happen and how it affects the business.
The problem is most South African businesses have the exact same problem.
I've got my own business as well and a client could stop all services from me at a whim. To their regret at the end as well.
The only way forward, even with these issues is for South African businesses to offer services to other businesses. Keep the money flowing. Keep the vein alive.
Long enough. The dead will rise.

 

[Splinter]

/snipWhat is going to annoy the hell out of me is not having any domestic staff and all the distractions presented by the family being around constantly./snip

First world problems bro. Most are annoyed at the thought they might get sick and die.

 

[daveza]

This is the same stuff I hear ALL over even though it is not really essential as per say, but will be pushing other ways around it.

They could pay a big price.

 

[Geoff.D]

. View attachment 806037

So, another example of terrible English usage.

What the H is "....walking et cetera will be canvassed" supposed to mean? Are they going to run a poll? Are they going to ask a sample of people what they think? Or are they simply using trashy media speak to try and say "covered or explained"?

 

[Sinbad]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1241793675492982786

 

[Bryn]

It's unfortunate that those issues do happen and how it affects the business.
The problem is most South African businesses have the exact same problem.
I've got my own business as well and a client could stop all services from me at a whim. To their regret at the end as well.
The only way forward, even with these issues is for South African businesses to offer services to other businesses. Keep the money flowing. Keep the vein alive.
Long enough. The dead will rise.

It's not quite the same though.

- One factory can employ hundreds of people
- The power required to remain operational during load shedding is huge, and the cost staggering. R15-20m in outlay for a single medium-sized factory. Losing productivity means no profit for a year or several if you have several factories.
- Factories are hotspots during strike action. Workers gather outside, burn tires, make death threats, throw stones and bricks and torch the occasional building or vehicle. Doesn't matter how well you pay your workers - it happens out of solidarity anyway. Workers risk death if they are seen as unsympathetic.

SA was losing around 140k manufacturing jobs each quarter before this Coronavirus crap. It will probably be millions now. There can't be many SA manufacturers not in a precarious situation prior to this stuff happening.

The gov hasn't followed through timeously or at all with existing incentives for years already. I doubt anyone in the industry is naïve enough to believe they will act in time to prevent calamity over this shutdown. Nah - businesses will simply crumble long before the ANC throws them a bone. And there's no way the ANC can afford the sort of meaningful cash injections required anyway.

 

[Sinbad]

It's not quite the same though.

- One factory can employ hundreds of people
- The power required to remain operational during load shedding is huge, and the cost staggering. R15-20m in outlay for a single medium-sized factory. Losing productivity means no profit for a year or several if you have several factories.
- Factories are hotspots during strike action. Workers gather outside, burn tires, make death threats, throw stones and bricks and torch the occasional building or vehicle. Doesn't matter how well you pay your workers - it happens out of solidarity anyway. Workers risk death if they are seen as unsympathetic.

SA was losing around 140k manufacturing jobs each quarter before this Coronavirus crap. It will probably be millions now. There can't be many SA manufacturers not in a precarious situation prior to this stuff happening.

The gov hasn't followed through timeously or at all with existing incentives for years already. I doubt anyone in the industry is naïve enough to believe they will act in time to prevent calamity over this shutdown. Nah - businesses will simply crumble long before the ANC throws them a bone. And there's no way the ANC can afford the sort of meaningful cash injections required anyway.

Kudos on your spelling of naïve

 

[Swa]

The lockdown will have no visible effect for the next 2 weeks.

It was 554 people 2 weeks ago.

Not true. Was just over 2 weeks ago that the first case arrived. Since then they've been testing people who've been in contact with them. You can test positive within a few hours from exposure taking hold and don't need to wait for symptoms to appear.

What people don't understand is that the 3 week period is for containment so we can have time to do testing and see where the spread is heading. It's a reset of the situation of sorts.

 

[Swa]

Never gonna happen, we've been training for this forever.

 

[Sinbad]

Not true. Was just over 2 weeks ago that the first case arrived. Since then they've been testing people who've been in contact with them. You can test positive within a few hours from exposure taking hold and don't need to wait for symptoms to appear.

What people don't understand is that the 3 week period is for containment so we can have time to do testing and see where the spread is heading. It's a reset of the situation of sorts.

Well I was quoting the scientist advising the presidency...
They have NOT been testing people who do not display symptoms.

 

[Swa]

Again with the jogging or walking dogs?

FFS, stay at home! Or do you want the virus to spread?

https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2020/03/the-spinoff-toby-morris-siouxsie-wiles-design-graphics-illustration-coronavirus_dezeen_1704_col_1.gif

Dude calm the f down. Someone walking around the block and not touching others won't cause it to spread.

 

[Geoff.D]

Well I was quoting the scientist advising the presidency...
They have NOT been testing people who do not display symptoms.

Correct. The ANC has had its head in the sand or up its own arse since beginning February and the so-called stats are completely skewed by the current testing policy.
I would love to know what happened this past weekend that forced them to sit up and really take notice.

 

[Splinter]

Correct. The ANC has had its head in the sand or up its own arse since beginning February and the so-called stats are completely skewed by the current testing policy.
I would love to know what happened this past weekend that forced them to sit up and really take notice.

I don't think it's a secret that the official stats are complete nonsense. But yes, things must have go really hectic.

 

[Nanfeishen]

Correct. The ANC has had its head in the sand or up its own arse since beginning February and the so-called stats are completely skewed by the current testing policy.
I would love to know what happened this past weekend that forced them to sit up and really take notice.

Maybe everyones worst nightmare has come true, and the little sucker has become airborne, hence the stay indoor policy.

 

[Hamster]

Soon guys...

EDIT: really need to fix that dumb alarm