COVID-19 FACT SHEET #4: Towards a safer, more equitable opening of the economy (SUMMARY)

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) proposes a managed reopening of South Africa's economy that prioritizes worker safety, social protections, and state-led economic transformation. Key recommendations include democratizing workplace health and safety, expanding income support through a universal Basic Income Guarantee, improving public health and education infrastructure, and implementing a proportionate fiscal stimulus to reverse austerity measures.

• The IEJ advocates for the 'democratisation' of the return to work, requiring that all health and safety agreements be signed by union or worker representatives and that workers participate in monitoring compliance officers. It suggests that failure to implement these protocols should be treated as a criminal offense.
• To mitigate social vulnerability, the document proposes increasing the R350 COVID-19 grant or implementing a one-off three-month universal grant of R4500. It further recommends replacing the special grant with a universal Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) after October.
• The report calls for urgent public health and infrastructure interventions, including the domestic manufacture of testing kits as part of state industrial policy and the mass provision of ablution facilities in townships.
• Regarding public transport, the IEJ recommends subsidizing taxis to compensate for a 70% occupancy limit and reversing the decision to allow 100% occupancy, while increasing funding for railway infrastructure to resume effective train operations.
• The document argues for a 'transformative state' that implements a proportionate fiscal stimulus, reverses austerity measures, and honors the President's R500 billion rescue package.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2020). COVID-19 FACT SHEET #4: Towards a safer, more equitable opening of the economy (SUMMARY). https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IEJ-COVID-19-fact-sheet-4-%E2%80%93-recommendations-for-reopening-the-economy-2.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. COVID-19 FACT SHEET #4: Towards a safer, more equitable opening of the economy (SUMMARY). 2020. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IEJ-COVID-19-fact-sheet-4-%E2%80%93-recommendations-for-reopening-the-economy-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=COVID-19 FACT SHEET #4: Towards a safer, more equitable opening of the economy (SUMMARY) |date=23 July 2020 |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IEJ-COVID-19-fact-sheet-4-%E2%80%93-recommendations-for-reopening-the-economy-2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforeconomicjustice2020covid19, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{COVID-19 FACT SHEET \#4: Towards a safer, more equitable opening of the economy (SUMMARY)}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/IEJ-COVID-19-fact-sheet-4-%E2%80%93-recommendations-for-reopening-the-economy-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }