Summary observations to heads of department by Khosa and team:
1. Readiness is not absolute, but relative
2. Although work had been done, absence of emergency response systems has made it difficult to measure state of readiness
3. Tracking and verification of PPE’s pointed to a chequered state of readiness across the board
4. Learner PPE’s missing
5. Overarching opinion: highly unlikely that majority of schools nationally would be ready to open
It’s happened before: Couples stuck at home during blizzards, hurricanes or other natural disasters enjoy some “alone time” – and a baby boom follows.
But a new survey from researchers at the University of Florence in Italy suggests the same probably won’t unfold during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Why?
“What we found the main reasons that led people to not wanting to conceive included worries related to future economic difficulties and consequences on pregnancy,” said study author Elisabetta Micelli, from the university’s Assisted Reproduction Technologies Center.
The researchers conducted nearly 1 500 online interviews and found that nearly 82% of those surveyed said they didn’t plan to conceive during the coronavirus pandemic.
Fear of future instabilities
The survey was conducted in the third week of the lockdown in Italy and included men and women in a stable heterosexual relationship for at least one year.
The findings were published early in May in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Of the 268 participants who said that, prior to the pandemic, they had plans to have a child, more than one-third abandoned their intentions when the pandemic struck. The main reasons were worries about future economic struggles (58%) and any potential consequences on pregnancy (58%) from the new coronavirus.
Even though almost half of those who responded to the survey had not lost their jobs or income, “the fear of imminent and future economic instabilities led those who were searching for a pregnancy to stop their intention in 58% of cases,” Micelli said in a journal news release.
Interestingly, 140 (11.5%) of the participants – mostly women – expressed a new desire for parenthood during quarantine, with the main reasons being “the will for change” (50%) and “the need for positivity” (40%).
But only six of the 140 (4.3%) actually tried to get pregnant during the lockdown.
No decrease in sex
“Again, fear of consequences on pregnancy in addition to the economic impact on families are probably the reasons why almost the whole group of couples who unexpectedly started to express a desire for parenthood during quarantine did not translate this dream into a concrete attempt,” said study co-author Gianmartin Cito, a specialist training in urology.
The study also asked participants about their levels of sexual activity and found that two-thirds of those who didn’t express a wish to conceive before or during the pandemic reported no decrease in sex. The same was true for 60% of people already trying to conceive.
It’s “unknown whether these findings will result in a substantial modification of birth rate in the near future,” the authors concluded.
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Are you a successful Accountant studying towards your Chartered Accountant degree? Our client requires a Finance Controller who has experience within the manufacturing industry with knowledge of report writing in all financial aspects. A minimum of 10 years working experience in a similar is required.
REQUIREMENTS
Relevant Bachelor Commerce with Honours, CA or studying towards a CA qualification advantageous
10 years accounting experience
Experience preferably in manufacturing environment
Exposure to working on Syspro accounting package advantageous
Knowledge of manufacturing operations
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Confidentiality, highly organised with high attention to detail
Good working knowledge of IFRS and tax computation
DUTIES
Prepare and submit monthly reports to Head Office
Preparation of reports for audit purposes including consolidation packs, cashflow statements, asset schedules’, finished goods and foreign currency reports
Maintain and update Fixed Asset Register, stock take of fixed assets and investment budgets
Analysis and month end and annual reporting
Compile the expenses budget and prepare budget control reports
Preparation of annual financial statements
Prepare provisional annual corporate tax information for auditors
Maintain tax schedule and arrange payments
Review and update financial policies and procedures
Provide training when new policies are introduced
Tax application and communication with payroll for expat payments
Prepare inventory costing, bills of material
Analysis of standard bill of materials to actual production costs
Syspro system maintenance and improvement
Adjust stock figures in Syspro
Run queries on Syspro database
Communication with all external parties dealing with financial requirements
Submit quarterly Production Rebate Credit Certificate
Overall communication with all department Manager, Financial Auditors and Bankers
Review monthly figures to Balance Sheet
Salary: R 70k ctc
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IT Compliance Auditor -Durban – Previous IT Auditing experience from the BIG 4
Requirements:
Please take note: if you have not been contacted within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
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| Remuneration: | R400 – R500 per hour Cost to company |
| Location: | Johannesburg |
| Education level: | Degree |
| Job level: | Senior |
| Type: | Contract |
| Reference: | #GZ40965 |
| Company: | E-Merge IT Recruitment |
Our client based in Johannesburg is on the hunt for a Linux technical specialist to join their organisation. They are looking for a consultant to work on the implementation of their software at financial institutions both in EMEA. The majority of their partners work within the banking industry
As a technical consultant you will be required to work primarily with IBM technology on UNIX/Linux and DB2/Oracle; and be responsible for ensuring the technical components of the project are correctly installed and configured. You will focus heavily on the Linux space and must have an excelled knowledge of Linux/Unix servers
The position provides flexibility in both a working environment as well as the expression of one’s technical abilities. Don’t miss out, apply now!!
Responsibilities:
Reference number for this position is which is a contract position based in Johannesburg offering a salary of R500 per hour negotiable on experience and ability.
The time for change is now! E-Merge IT Recruitment are specialist niche recruiters with a wide range of positions available. We offer researched positions with top companies to strong technical candidates. Email Garth on
az.oc.egrem-e@htrag
or call him on 011 463 3633 to discuss this and other opportunities.
Do you have a friend who is a developer or technology specialist? We pay cash for successful referrals! If you haven’t heard from E-Merge IT within two weeks of your application, please consider it unsuccessful for this position.
Posted on 01 Jun 11:57
Create your CV once, and thereafter you can apply to this ad and future job ads easily.
| Remuneration: | R800000 – R900000 per year Cost to company |
| Location: | Johannesburg, Bramley |
| Education level: | Degree |
| Job level: | Mid |
| Type: | Contract |
| Reference: | #GZ42814 |
| Company: | E-Merge IT Recruitment |
An alfa leader is what it would take to lead, design and develop as a senior developer for an environment for thought leaders based in the concrete jungle, Johannesburg. This pioneering client will provide the platform to flex your C# developing muscles by working in detailed projects and make an impact in the industry.
Picture this, an environment where you demonstrate knowledge of common frameworks in the .NET technology stack and gain exposure to continuous integration and/or continuous deployment paradigms while getting paid for it.
Do you…
Duties and responsibilities
Qualifications
The reference number for this position is GZ42814. It’s a contract position based in Bramley offering a salary of R800,000 to R900,000 per annum cost to company, negotiable based on experience. Contact Tlhalefang on
az.oc.egrem-e@mgnafelahlt
or call her on 011 463 3633 to discuss this and other opportunities.
Are you ready for a change of scenery? E-Merge IT recruitment is a specialist niche recruitment agency. We offer our candidates options so that we can successfully place the right developers with the right companies in the right roles. Check out the E-Merge website www.e-merge.co.za for more great positions.
Do you have a friend who is a developer or technology specialist? We pay cash for successful referrals!
Posted on 01 Jun 11:57
Create your CV once, and thereafter you can apply to this ad and future job ads easily.
Of South Africa’s three major sporting codes – soccer, rugby and cricket – it is only the latter that can return to play under Level 3 regulations of the country’s national lockdown.
There are no winners when it comes to the impacts of the coronavirus, but it is safe to say that cricket has been given a unique opportunity during all the uncertainty and chaos.
All non-contact professional sports in South Africa can return to play from this month, after they have pitched a proposal to government and had it approved.
Contact sports, like soccer and rugby, can return to training but playing matches is still prohibited leaving the PSL and Super Rugby dead in the water.
Both SAFA and SA Rugby are continually engaging with government in an effort to find a way back, but over the weekend it was suggested by the department of sport and recreation that contact sports would likely only return to play in Level 1.
South African golf and tennis, on a professional level at least, are also allowed back, though neither has the pull of cricket from a broadcaster’s perspective in South Africa.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has a window now where they can almost be the monopoly in terms of local, live sports content in the country.
The players are technically on their off-season and a tour to West Indies in July might not happen because of travel restrictions, but the fact that South Africa can host matches again should be capitalised on in an intelligent, attractive and unique way.
The Proteas host India for three T20s in late August, but that is nearly three months away.
The Sunshine Tour, South African golf’s professional circuit, should also look to capitalise on this window.
The fact that social golf is still banned has been a topic of robust conversation in recent weeks and it is placing the industry under massive financial strain. If there are ways to televise events in the weeks to come that could inject funds into the industry, then they should be explored.
SuperSport, of course, will be central to any of these developments.
There has been limited live sport on our television screens for the last two months and while the Premier League and New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa are set to kick off shortly, there is still nothing in the way of South African content.
With that in mind, here are a few ideas of what SuperSport and the country’s sporting administrators could put together.
There are obviously a range of issues to consider, from logistics to sponsorships to safe practice, but we can dream!
Proteas v Springboks T20
These games are always a laugh. Who could forget Willie le Roux’s blinding one-handed catch at long-off to dismiss Kagiso Rabada in 2014? The Nelson Mandela Legacy Cup gives the South African sports fan an injection of happiness, and that is needed now more than ever. The charity element would obviously make it a worthwhile exercise, and while it will be strange having a match like this in an empty stadium in front of no spectators, it could still be the perfect way for South African sport to return to SuperSport. The Springboks remain a marketing dream given their success at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. I’d pay to see Kagiso Rabada charging in at Siya Kolisi or Rassie Erasmus.
SA T20 Invitational
With the T20 Cricket World Cup the Proteas’ priority for the year, preparation is key. If the West Indies tour is scrapped, as expected, then the Proteas will lose out on five valuable T20 matches. If that is the case, then why not host something at home? CSA has spoken about the possibility of creating a cricket ‘bio-bubble’ – a sterile environment where teams could be based for weeks at a time. We could have four invitational teams made of players in and around the Proteas set-up, based at the same venue and playing against each other for two weeks, with all of the matches televised. It could serve as preparation for the T20 World Cup as well as trials.
SA’s ‘The Match’
The recent Tiger Woods (Peyton Manning) v Phil Mickelson (Tom Brady) ‘The Match’ at Medalist Golf Club last weekend was a hit. The event raised $20 million for the USA’s Covid-19 relief fund. There were only the above mentioned four involved in the production, but if South Africa could host some form of charity golf day or weekend with sports stars from all over the country included, then it could be highly successful. The success of something like this depends almost solely on the quality of the broadcast, and that is where SuperSport would have to deliver something special. Golf is also considered the easiest sport to facilitate from a social distancing point of view.
Globally recognised for Vitality, its revolutionary shared-value platform, Discovery is changing the face of insurance and financial services globally.
Through Vitality, a powerful science-based behaviour-change platform, Discovery drives shared value across its businesses that benefits clients, the business itself, its partners and broader society. In so doing, Vitality has shaped the Discovery Group’s ability to offer a product and service that is significantly superior to anything that existed in the category before.
Contrary to popular category belief, Discovery Vitality is not simply a rewards programme. Rather, it is a radically different way of structuring and designing products based on improving behaviours that are directly linked to insurance and financial risk. By improving behaviours related to risk, Discovery is able to monetise improvements in health and other behaviours and generate more value for clients.
We see this Discovery ethos in action in relation to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Through a comprehensive and coordinated approach, Discovery’s objective was to ensure its employees, clients, business partners, healthcare professionals and broader society were protected and able to stay healthy and safe during the pandemic. Through a range of product innovations that were tailored to meet changing needs during the pandemic, support for clients and other stakeholders such as financial advisers and healthcare professionals, as well as a dedicated focus on distributing accurate and up-to-date information about the pandemic, Discovery responded with agility to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Strategic and collaborative partnerships to benefit all South Africans
Prompted by the Covid-19 crisis, Discovery partnered with Vodacom to make its online doctor consultation platform, Dr Connect, openly available to all South Africans for Covid-19 related consultations. This sophisticated digital platform ensures safe, virtual access to healthcare professionals at no charge with patients not having to travel to a healthcare facility – a critical benefit that contributes to the health and safety of both patients and healthcare providers.
Discovery also partnered with hotel groups to create ‘managed isolation facilities’ for those infected with Covid-19 to ensure comfort and ease of recovery, without risking infection of those in the primary household.
Further still, Discovery partnered with its digital education provider to offer free learning support for grades 4-12 to support parents with school-going children at home.
But Discovery’s innovative partnerships have been a hallmark of the brand, long before crisis-time. Discovery Vitality has partnered with a range of brands since inception to create a substantial behaviour-change and rewards ecosystem for its members.
Product responsiveness in a time of change
During the national lockdown, Discovery supported clients through various premium relief initiatives and tailored products and benefits to the current Covid-19 environment. Earlier in May, the Group launched a number of product innovations that address the unique aspects of Covid-19, including a world-first severe illness benefit that provides comprehensive cover for multi-organ failure associated with Covid-19, dynamic discounts and rewards for its car insurance clients that reward them for driving less and staying home during the lockdown; as well as comprehensive Covid-19 benefits for individuals and employers that cover appropriate risk assessment, testing and treatment referral.
In addition, through Vitality, Discovery launched an online at-home series that makes it easier, not just for members, but for all South Africans and even people around the world, to stay healthy and active while at home. The series focuses on staying fit, eating healthily, and taking care of mental wellness.
Discovery adjusted points-earning structures and reward categories and partners to better support and encourage clients to keep fit and healthy while at home. Through the Vitality at Home programme, clients can take part in various healthy activities and earn points and rewards. Discovery members are rewarded extra points for buying, eating, working out and behaving healthier while in lockdown. This includes double cash back rewards from retailers and reward vouchers for online and gaming entertainment.
This product responsiveness is evident across the Discovery suite of products, and especially in its life insurance business, where product innovations and benefit enhancements aim to provide unique and comprehensive protection cover for clients’ changing needs, all while rewarding them for healthy living with Vitality. Notably, Discovery has also launched the world’s first behavioural bank that leverages the Vitality model of incentivising positive behaviour change. Through its innovative Vitality Money benefit and Discovery Miles, the Group’s single rewards currency across the full product suite, clients are encouraged and rewarded for managing their money well.
Transforming culture
Discovery Vitality isn’t just about adaptive products and innovative behavioural models. It builds and connects communities and, in so doing, evolves the global wellness culture.
Case in point is the Vitality Open challenge that encouraged participants to drive safely and be more active through personalised goal setting on the Discovery app. The platform was available to all South Africans. It was based on raising awareness around the need to change behaviours that lead to road accidents and by encouraging physical activity to address the rise in noncommunicable diseases.
The Vitality Running World Cup (postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak) was launched in 2020 as an annual free-to-enter, global running competition. Designed to inspire entire countries to become more active, and therefore healthier through the programme, Vitality is incentivising healthier behaviours on a global scale.
These products and platforms from Discovery and Discovery Vitality indicate dramatic shifts in how the financial services and insurance category can be transformed through a shared-value approach. Indeed, by challenging the boundaries of expected actions and responses, this South African Dramatic Disruptor is impossible to ignore, the world over.
https://www.discovery.co.za/vitality/join-today
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Overthrow II, by eatbigfish. & PHD, explores 10 of the most powerful strategies and mindsets used by today’s challengers to disrupt their markets. Get your copy of the book at overthrow2.com. Find out what challenger type of Challenger you or your business is. Take the quiz: https://www.overthrow2.com/challengertype/
Live more challenger!
________________________________________
eatbigfish. is a strategic brand consultancy whose unique focus is challenger thinking and behaviour. Our expertise is grounded in The Challenger Project – our study of how Challenger Brands succeed by doing more with less.
We act as catalysts rather than consultants and, through our collaborative approach, we provide inspiration and frameworks which enable ‘would be’ challengers to deliver breakthrough solutions for their teams and brand.
If you would like to speak to someone, please call or email our local representative for Africa Middle East: Delta Victor Bravo (Pty) Ltd
Contact David Blyth –
moc.hsifgibtae@divad
Telephone: +27 71 483 8514
There may be financial relief available for medical aid members, but it will depend on whether the scheme has been granted contribution relief approval by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), as well as what plan the individual is on.
The majority of the schemes within the industry have applied for contribution relief for their membership in similar ways, one of them being by using vested medical savings which have accrued from previous years to fund medical aid contributions for a period of time. The amount and period over which this can be done will vary per member, and per scheme.
Medical aid schemes have not been spared the impact of Covid-19. Several solutions are being put forward to support members in shouldering both the financial and the clinical burden of the virus, while ensuring that schemes will be able to manage the expected number of increased admissions…
15 May 2020
“Members may also lower their monthly contributions by downgrading their current plan. Further, schemes that offer plans that are based on income, for example premiums based on salary, may also allow members to downgrade to a lower income band should there have been a reduction in their monthly earnings,” she says.
Some schemes may also offer other alternatives, such as freezing of contributions, payment holidays for a period of time, or using other funding mechanisms to assist in contribution relief. This however, is subject to the scheme and the plan that the member is currently on, and most schemes will advise the member directly if they are eligible for such relief.
There are various solutions to help meet the member’s needs, however, it can be confusing as not all members will have the same solution available to them. Members who are seeking any type of contribution relief should therefore get in touch with their financial advisor or broker to ascertain the relief options available to them and the impact on benefits, since the implications could have far reaching consequences, especially for those with chronic illnesses, or requiring hospitalisation or oncology benefits.