- Title: S. African president announces stimulus package
- Date: 22nd April 2020
- Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (APRIL 22, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ABOUT RAMAPHOSA'S STIMULUS PACKAGE
- Embargoed: 6th May 2020 17:22
- Keywords: COVID-19 Cyril Ramaphosa Johannesburg Pretoria South Africa coronavirus economy lockdown stimulus package
- Location: PRETORIA AND JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
- City: PRETORIA AND JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001CAKNI9Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 500 billion rand ($26.3 billion) rescue package on Tuesday (April 21), equivalent to 10% of GDP of Africa's most industrialised nation, to try to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic.
While early lockdown measures appeared to have halted a steep rise in new cases, the economic impact of the lockdown is wreaking havoc on an economy that was already in recession, and with a third of the country out of work.
"While the nationwide lockdown is having a devastating effect on our economy, it is nothing compared to the catastrophic human, social and economic cost if the virus could spread amongst our people, unchecked," Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.
The president said he would help support those most badly affected by the coronavirus by increasing child-support grant payments and paying special benefits to those who are unemployed and do not receive any other form of grant.
However, many have been feeling the impact of the lockdown and said they have not received help from government.
Among those was a resident from the township of Alexandra, Kgotso Mamabolo, who said he was hungry and unable to work.
"The scrap yards are closed, we don't have anything to eat, we don't have anything for income," he added.
While the government has been offering some relief to those in need, some foreign nationals have been feeling left out, saying they wished to return to their home countries and face hardship there.
Dorries Madonsela, from Mozambique, has eight children. Her self-employed husband is a waste picker.
She said has not been receiving any aid from the South African government and endured the pain of being told she would not be given food because she was a foreigner
"The parcel was grabbed out of my hand saying we will not get food because we are foreigners. I'm struggling with my kids and I don't know how we will survive, it's best they open the border so that we can go home, it's best we struggle while we are there," she said.
As of Tuesday, South Africa had registered 58 deaths and 3,465 cases of coronavirus.
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