In a statement, Safrea chairperson Lynne Smit said they conducted a survey and found that about 60% of their members had lost between 90% and 100% of their income overnight. 

“We have been inspired by the companies that have been letting us know of their needs for highly skilled translators, blog writers, journalists, copy editors, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, etc., so that we can pass these opportunities on to our members,” Smit said. 

She said the association had started working closely with sister organisations in the media, such as the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef), the South African Guild of Actors (SAGA), and members of the Alliance of Language and Media Practitioners (Lamp).

Safrea said it had also started creating internal projects and hired freelancers within its network to undertake them and had set out food vouchers paid for by members who donated the funds to their colleagues in need. 

James Bainbridge, a Safrea member, said he was one of the beneficiaries during the job creation initiative and was commissioned to analyse and update content on the Safrea website as part of its relaunch. 

Siphe Zenani said the relief measure from Safrea allowed him to land a translation job for a South African-based organisation, which in turn helped to maintain his business operations at a time of “financial hopelessness for most businesses”. 

African News Agency (ANA)