Advice for freelancers and small businesses during coronavirus outbreak

Published: March 21, 2020, 11:11 a.m.

Not only is the coronavirus (COVID-19) now a global pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), it has also disrupted life as we know it globally. As many countries around the world have announced various measures to try and "flatten the curve," some people are faced with uncertainty over where their next income cheque will come from. Freelancers, small businesses, and self-employed people are some of the categories of people around the world who are about to be severely be affected by the many restrictions and lockdowns that are being implemented by various countries. This will even be more felt in countries like South Africa where not much financial relief is expected to be announced by governments for these categories of people. As such, for this bonus episode I caught up with Thabo Ngcangiso (Thiza), a property deal maker by profession (he's also a podcaster with the following podcasts under his belt: Property Khona - real estate related, and the No Hidden Agenda podcast - hip hop related), to hear what financial advice he has for freelancers, small businesses, and self-employed people. Although some of the advice is South Africa specific, the bulk of it is applicable to anyone around the world. Later in this bonus episode, Itumeleng Mojaki, a Money Market Portfolio Manager for one of the best black owned investment funds in South Africa, joins the discussion as he offers some tips and options to the Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, and the South African Reserve Bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago, on some of the measures they should look at implementing to navigate these uncertain times but more importantly to ensure the well-being of South African citizens is taken care of.