COVID-19 Communique: Update from Business for SA (B4SA), Pro Bono Legal Service Offerings & Alternative SME

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Dear Colleague 

  1. Attached find an update received from Business for SA (B4SA) which was previously introduced to you. We will be sending through updates regularly but the attachments will also be uploaded to our website as part of our Covid-19 Bulletin.
    B4SA Daily member update 010420

Just a note to let you know that the issue of payments not being processed has been relayed to B4SA to engage with Government to consider payment processing to be considered an essential service as companies need timely payment for cashflow management. Further we have extended this call to the need for addressing long outstanding payments where no disputes exist between Client and Professional Service Providers.

  1. We have received information from a legal company offering free legal advice which is available as follows :

27 March 2020 LNP Attorneys a South Africa law firm, focused on the Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure sectors, is offering to assist companies and individuals in understanding and managing Covid-19 by creating a legal ‘hotline’. People are invited to email covid19@lnpinc.co.za with their queries and one of LNP Attorney’s team of legal experts who are all working remotely, will respond.

Please note however that we are in no way promoting or endorsing this company or its offering, just sharing information, which you may use at your own discretion should you find the need for such services.

  1. It would appear that there are several sources of financial support being offered and not only the Solidarity Fund, we caution members to carefully consider the terms and conditions of each of these before pursuing the offers. Possibly get legal advice too, as many seem to be framed as assistance but they are actually loans with friendly payment terms but exorbitant interest rates. Since it is not possible for CESA to know which are bona fide and which are not, we will only share information relating to funds which carry the endorsement of Government and B4SA. We do see many such offers for SME Assistance but prefer not to promote any of these, members are of course at liberty to pursue any of these at their own discretion.  

Christopher (Chris) Campbell Pr. Eng.

Chief Executive Officer