Tracking of Corporate, Philanthropic and Public Donations to Dislodge COVID-19

Nhamo, Godwell; Dube, Kaitano; Chikodzi, David

Those with eyes have witnessed, and those with ears have heard of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Visible and loud are the negative impacts of the pandemic globally, threatening the attainment of both the health and other sustainable development goals (SDGs). Hence, the call of many governments to have all the stakeholders on board did not fall on deaf ears. Drawing from the events study and public announcements methodology, this chapter mainly documents the contributions from corporates, philanthropists, civil society organisations and members of the public towards COVID-19 initiatives. The findings are that the world over, many stakeholders raised their hands to help in mighty ways, particularly after the World Health Organisation’s declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic and escalating lockdowns. This was also the case in South Africa, a country documented as a case study, where the Solidarity Fund was established with billions of rands donated. For South Africa, it was a true embracing of the ubuntu (I am because you are) concept post the apartheid era. It is recommended that the model followed by corporate South Africa be kept alive to enable the nation to bounce back quicker and build resilience against similar future disasters. Pandemics, epidemics and other natural disasters remain the new global and national norm. As such, working together, stakeholders can do more with less. It is also recommended that in the future, donations should be scaled up earlier.