Early retrenchments due to the Pandemic covid 19
By: Amanda Nonsikelelo Nhlengethwa
Twitter: @Amanda_N_26
Email: nonsikeleloamanda5@gmail.com
Corona virus known as Covid-19 has brought massive changes in
South Africa and those changes are now permanent people must live under certain
rules in order to survive.
It has been full 2 years since the President of South
Africa has announced that from March 2020 the country will be under lockdown,
where no one was allowed to move, and no one was allowed to work during these
hard times.
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The National Lockdown led to many job losses in the
country, small and big business had to close because nothing was operating in
the country. Most employees lost their jobs unfairly because businesses were
suffering loss.
The economic destruction caused by Covid-19 has left
millions of people in the country without their source of income. The spread of
Covid-19 is causing pressure on vulnerable household.
“In 2020 employers dismissed lot of workers unfairly and unfortunately,
I was one of those works who were retrenched. What makes it worse is that they
didn’t even follow any protocols they just fired us without even a single
warning. I was the only breadwinner at home, and we suffered a lot because of
this pandemic,” said Mr. Zithulele Khumalo one of the employees who were
retrenched in 2020 during National Lockdown.
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Poverty has risen in the country since many people were
early retrenched, these reasons led to many people doing wrong things like
crime.
Job losses were reported by all industries, but the
moderate job losses were reported in the transport industry with 35 000
jobs, mining industry with 12 000 jobs, electricity industry with 3000
jobs, and full-time jobs decreased by 541 000.
Job crisis in 2020 was turning in social life crisis. The
Covid-19 pandemic has triggered one of the worst crises. The real danger is
that this crisis will increase poverty, crime and widen inequality between
women and men.
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The Covid-19 job loss erased the last decade of employment
growth, job losses in the informal sector and among domestic works together
represent half of total employment losses.
A Domestic worker, Miss Nakedi Nkomo said, “I was just a regular domestic worker
supporting my family. I was called and told that I am fired due to Covid-19
they told me they are letting me go because I won’t be any help since they will
now be home full time those words broke my heart into 1 thousand pieces.”
Corona virus has brought nothing but sadness in the country
even in the taxi industry they had to let go of their drivers since nothing was
working properly.
A taxi owner, Mr. Nathi Mthembu said “I lost lot of money
because taxes were moving at a certain time and no taxi was allowed to be full
I had to let go my loyal employees because I had no other option left.”
South Africa has overcome the dark situation and lots of people were employed back by their companies.
