As we slowly adapt to the new normal and learn to live alongside COVID-19, the Centre for Applied Food Sustainability and Biotechnology (CAFSaB) in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences held a virtual commemoration of Mandela Day on 17 July 2020.

The annual event is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that everyone has the power to transform the world and the ability to make an impact.

The two entrepreneurs in the fields of water and food analysis, Ms Shirleen Theisinger and Dr Elsabé Botes delivered insightful presentations on how their businesses are coping amidst the global pandemic.

Ms Shirleen Theisinger, Managing Director and Lab Quality Manager: SMT Labs, mentioned that one of her positives during the lockdown was the fact that they are part of essential services which allowed them to be fully operational.  “Some of our challenges was that not all staff members could work from home, we did not know how to implement social distancing in the lab, could not follow the quality programme as normal, could not visit our clients and do sampling and our clients were unsure about their situation and production, and they were cutting their quality costs to save money.”

Looking into the future, Ms Theisinger said that they need to focus on new strategies and re-evaluate their plans. “We need to realise that we are all in uncharted territory, circumstances have changed, and the need has changed, so we need to adapt.”

On the other hand, while most of the companies are barely making money during these tough times, Director: Test It Lab, Dr Elsabé Botes said that one of the positive outcomes of the COVID-19 crises is that they have been doing better financially because of the directive to constantly wash hands. “We deal with water quality testing and municipalities have added water infrastructure in the form of JoJo tanks. Due to that, we have seen an increase in our monthly turnover.”

In her presentation, she stipulated five approaches; leadership, buy-in, trust, boundaries and tools, that makes business work for them during COVID-19. She further said that she is inspired by this Mandela Day of ‘taking action and inspiring change’. “The only way we can inspire change is by doing and living it.”

When asked what message they would like to share with South Africa on this Mandela Day under the theme Take action, inspire change they said: “We cannot deny patriarchy, racism and things that happened in the past. However, we need to analyse and understand our history so that we can have a firm footing, turn around and look to the future. We also need to stop focusing on ourselves and realise that if we want to survive as a country, we need to stand together and make things happen.”