Patel: Businesses Already Contributing To COVID-19 Solidarity Fund

Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel said that businesses were already offering to donate money to the Solidarity Fund.

The fund, kick-started by donations of R1 billion each from the Rupert and Oppenheimer families, is intended to help mobilise business and civil society to back government efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The fund will be chaired by Wiphold founder Gloria Serobe and philanthropist Adrian Enthoven. The government has provided R150 million in seed capital, of which R100 million comes from Treasury and R50 million from the National Lotteries Commission.

At a briefing earlier on Tuesday, Patel spelt out the aim of the fund.

“It’s designed to unite the nation and accelerate the country’s response to COVID-19. The focus of the fund is in four areas – it’s to alleviate the suffering and distress caused by the virus to the country and to mobilise the support of business and civil society in support of government’s efforts.”

Patel said that businesses were already coming forward.

“Government last night made available an initial R150m as seed funding and a number of businesses already today contacted us because they will be contributing within the next few days to the fund.”

Click on the link for more details on the Solidarity Fund.

To track the latest developments around the coronavirus both in South Africa and abroad, click on this live status report from Strategix.

EWN