COVID-19, and Sustainable Development Goals: A Comparative Analysis of Zimbabwe and South Africa

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals with a direct focus on poverty (goal one), taking Zimbabwe as a case study and comparing it to South Africa. The neoclassical economic theory of poverty was used in the analysis. The study used a literature review approach where document and conceptual analyses were conducted. The information gathered from the secondary sources of data which include several peer-reviewed journals on the neoclassical economics, reports and even newspaper articles indicated that poverty would rise because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe and South Africa. This will be more prevalent among the low-income earners and those who are already in the poverty bracket. The conclusion is that the rise in poverty will negatively impact the attainment of SDGs. Therefore, governments in various countries, especially in developing nations, should avail grants for the poor, the low-income earners whose income has been disrupted by the pandemic and to come up with strong mechanisms to bail out businesses, especially small businesses who have challenges to cope with the crisis.