South Africa president unveils $26bn coronavirus relief plan

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday announced a $26 billion relief package aimed at supporting the economy and the vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a special address to the nation, Ramaphosa announced “a massive social and economic support package of 500 billion rand ($26.3 billion), which amounts to about 10 percent of our GDP.”

“The scale of this emergency programme is historical,” he said.