The informal sector must not be left behind when life resumes after Covid-19
Covid-19 is a pandemic, a socio-economic and health crisis the impact of which is already unprecedented in my lifetime.
The informal sector in South Africa comprises very small enterprises employing up to five people. Already in 2014, Stats SA reported that 2.4million people worked in this sector, representing 17% of the active workforce. Even township spaza shops were initially expected to close, as if residents on lockdown could access supermarkets near their neighbourhoods.
After recognising them as a priority in the moment of crisis, do we continue to allow the poor and vulnerable to be super-exploited for the sake of profiting globalisation?This is a sector almost unrecognised by banks and insurers, an economy governed by few policies but restricted by many municipal by-laws from accessing markets and operating freely.
Municipalities can prioritise reducing red tape and improve access to facilities that would reduce the cost of doing business in the informal sector.
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