For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines: SANDF deploys soldiers in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, Ramaphosa says saving lives, preventing more business closures a priority and, the World Bank says South Africa needs emergency action to create jobs

SANDF deploys soldiers in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal
The South African National Defence Force said on Monday it would deploy soldiers to support the South African Police Service in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Protests against the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma have turned to violent looting.

The SANDF has stressed that its objective is to provide a safe working environment for SAPS members and other law enforcement agencies.

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure requested assistance from the SANDF, which has begun pre-deployment processes and procedures.

Ramaphosa says saving lives, preventing more business closures a priority
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, government has sought to balance saving lives and preserving livelihoods in an evidence-based manner.

He acknowledged that restrictions have detrimentally impacted businesses and stated that, for now, the country’s priority is saving lives while ensuring that no more businesses and jobs are lost.

He announced that while the country would remain on level 4 of the national lockdown restrictions, restaurants could now open to sit-downs, with a maximum capacity of 50 occupants and 50% capacity for smaller venues.

World Bank says South Africa needs emergency action to create jobs

South Africa can bolster hiring by temporarily extending tax incentives, suspending rules that increase labour costs and introducing measures to support entrepreneurship and self-employment, according to the World Bank.

While other reforms, including tackling electricity supply constraints, remain pivotal, time-bound emergency measures to support poorer workers and create jobs are needed as the economy recovers from the devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

Africa’s most-industrialized economy contracted the most in a century last year and lost 1.4-million jobs as restrictions to curb the spread of the virus weighed on output and forced some businesses to cut wages, reduce staff or permanently shut down.

South Africa’s unemployment rate stood at a record 32.6% in the first quarter of 2021. The rate has remained above 20% for at least two decades, even though the economy expanded by 5% or more a year in the early 2000s.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today
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