VOW FM 88.1 The Covid Report

The Covid Report

At the onset of the Covid- 19 pandemic in South Africa when President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a state of disaster in March 2020, Voice of Wits launched an hour- long daily talk show, The Covid Report. This show focuses on the impact the virus has on various sectors of society. Some of the topics covered include; stories of recovery, how people living in informal settlements are dealing with the pandemic, the impact of the virus on schooling- focusing on home schooling. The LIVE show airs 6 and 7pm Monday to Thursday and is available on podcast after that.
Weekly English South Africa Technology · Music
232 Episodes
32 – 52

Can we avoid a deadly third wave of covid-19?

Gamelihle Bovana speaks to analyst Jamie Mightie about the country’s move to lockdown level 2 as numbers of covid-19 infections rise. Is it possible to avoid having another surge in infections across the country?
31 May 2021 18 min

Should South Africa be concerned about the new covid-19 variant?

This evening on the Covid Report Gamelihle Bovana and Karabo Asala are in conversation with the CEO of Higher Health, Prof Ramneek. Who speaks of the new variant as not being deadly, and that the vaccines would still be effective against this variant. However, South Africans have to make a collective…
3 May 2021 25 min

How India is handling the new covid-19 variant

This evening on the Covid Report Gamelihle Bovana and Karabo Asala are in conversation with the Founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Sooliman regarding the new Covid-19 variant detected in India. Dr Sooliman shares his thoughts on factors that spiked the wave in India, and what work they as Gift…
3 May 2021 24 min

Producing literature amidst a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many people in many different ways. Specifically, as it pertains to creatives of any kind, it has impacted their ability to produce bodies of creative work, which makes any sort of success in this department something worthy to be lauded. To this end, Writer, Khanya…
19 Apr 2021 22 min

Job losses during the pandemic and business opportunity

The COVID 19 pandemic has a significant impact on the steadily worsening unemployment crisis in SA, & resulted in many people losing their jobs. Certain individuals, however, were able to also take advantage of the opportunity presented to them in the wake of this, & to this end, we are…
13 Apr 2021 8 min

Understanding the alcohol ban & its role in the pandemic

One of the most polarizing topics within urban South African discourse, particularly during the pandemic, has been the various alcohol bans put in place during the lockdown. They have routinely received a mixed response from the public, & to this end, we are joined by Bar Consultant & Mixologist, Ntando…
13 Apr 2021 23 min

A timeline of increased unemployment in SA during the pandemic

FTI Consulting released a study that tracked the progressively worsening unemployment crisis in South Africa and how the COVID 19 pandemic made this even worse. Dr. Paula Armstrong joins us on the show to unpack her findings and the research that went into the production of the study.
12 Apr 2021 30 min

Informal workers' lives and livelihoods during the Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on people's ability to earn a living, & this hasn't been more keenly felt anywhere else than in the informal trading sector. SAITA's Rosheda Muller joins us on The Covid Report to unpack the measures their organization is taking to help the impacted…
29 Mar 2021 30 min

The Impact of the pandemic on career choices

As regularly noted over the entirety of the show's history, the COVID 19 pandemic has prompted many people to reevaluate their priorities & reexamine their career aspirations. Head of Food at Nando's, Ms. Pascale Sobiecki, joins us on The Covid Report to provide insight in this regard, while also mapping…
9 Mar 2021 28 min

Studying during the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a turbulent period for many, jobs were lost and many people's lives changed drastically. How anxious were matriculants with having to adjust to online studying and putting in extra work to ensure that they pass their Matric year? Gamelihle Bovana speaks to Khumo Toyana, a…
8 Mar 2021 28 min

Vaccination isn’t your guarantee of safety

Are vaccines your greatest guarantee of safety? Taking the vaccine jab and whether it is safe or not has been a question debated by many. Host of the Covid Report Gamelihle Bovana speaks to Burt Rodrigues, CEO of Biological Chemical Technologies (Biodx), to unpack the safety of vaccines as well…
2 Mar 2021 44 min

Collecting taxes during the covid19 pandemic

SARS priority has been to raise awareness about the October 2020 deadline for people who needed to file an income tax return at a SARS branch, why is it important for SARS to issue notices for tax returns? Gamelihle Bovana speaks to Itumeleng Mokhine TA (SA) Tax Specialist at Liberty…
5 Nov 2020 31 min

Should South Africa fear for a second wave of the covid19 pandemic?

South Africa went into Lockdown Level 1 in September where we saw a lot of activities being permitted, although this didn’t mean that the coronavirus had been completely cleared we saw a lot of citizens being relaxed and the use of non pharmaceutical intervention not being observed. There has been…
4 Nov 2020 42 min

How can South Africa recover from the economic woes amid the cover-19 pandemic?

Last week, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) proposes a five-year fiscal consolidation to narrow the budget deficit and stabilise government debt. The biggest highlights were that the South African economy is expected to contract by 7.8% in 2020, while our debt is set…
2 Nov 2020 38 min

Is there support for the ‘missing middle’ students during the pandemic?

It has been over eight months since universities along with the students and the academic profession were forced to adapt to online learning, what are some of the challenges that you would say have persisted over the period? We speak to Prof Ahmed Bawa, the CEO of Universities South Africa,…
29 Oct 2020 37 min

Covid 19 and Comorbidities

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread rapidly across the globe, scientists expressed concern that people living with other underlying conditions like diabetes and HIV have had to worry about managing their current condition and how the coronavirus would affect them if they ever were infected. South Africa has gained…
27 Oct 2020 31 min
32 – 52