Covid-19: The Ultimate Disruptor
Forbes Africa|June - July 2020
The coronavirus has rebooted every aspect of life as we know it. Across Africa, home-grown ideas and smallscale technological innovations are coming to the fore to help combat it.
Karen Mwendera
Covid-19: The Ultimate Disruptor

It’s 8 pm In Johannesburg on March 29, the first Sunday of the lockdown in South Africa, and a team from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) is hard at work, not in the comfort of their homes, but at an innovation lab, designing the first two prototypes of a face shield.

Letlotlo Phohole and Moses Mogotlane, the two members of the team, are working on paper and transparent face shield models, with a Perspex headband, and they are doing all of this at a Transnet-sponsored innovation space hosted at Wits; together in thought, but apart in (social) distance.

Their work would use 3D-printers and a laser-cut solution, in coming up with the very first version of a face shield developed by Wits.

Reeling from the disastrous effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, just like any other part of the world, Africa is turning to home-grown solutions such as this to tackle a global problem.

“Design can save the world,” says Dr Randall Paton, one of the engineers in charge of coordinating this project. And for any innovation at this time, speed is paramount.

“I think that innovation, especially of the sort that leaves us with a legacy of new products or ideas, is essential in tackling an issue like the coronavirus crisis,” he adds.

The face shields were initially designed for health workers at Netcare Hospitals, made from a flat pack consisting of two pieces that can rapidly be assembled.

Now, they are producing the face shields in only 90 seconds using die-cutting (cutting chosen shapes from low-strength materials), as opposed to 3D-printing them which takes up to 90 minutes.

This story is from the June - July 2020 edition of Forbes Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June - July 2020 edition of Forbes Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FORBES AFRICAView All
Down To Earth
Forbes Africa

Down To Earth

A new era in satellite technology offers space-down insight. Here are some fascinating world views.

time-read
5 mins  |
February - March 2024
Could A Digital Twin Save Your Life?
Forbes Africa

Could A Digital Twin Save Your Life?

Human digital twins are quickly moving beyond manufacturing and into the medical world advancing cancer care, soeeding up drug development, personalizing clinical trials, and much more.

time-read
4 mins  |
February - March 2024
The All-Rounder In Ecotourism
Forbes Africa

The All-Rounder In Ecotourism

An exclusive interview with renowned Kenya-born landscape architect and pioneer of sustainable tourism Hitesh Mehta. His other fascinating career? Representing East Africa and Kenya in first-class cricket and playing in three ICC World Cup tournaments in the late 1970s and 1980s.

time-read
5 mins  |
February - March 2024
Wheeler-Deeler
Forbes Africa

Wheeler-Deeler

Alex Bouaziz’s HR company became the fastest-growing software startup in Silicon Valley history by promising to take the pain out of overseas hiring. But in its rush to a $12 billion valuation, regulators worry it may have been cutting the very compliance corners it’s supposedly maintaining.

time-read
6 mins  |
February - March 2024
Culture Couture
Forbes Africa

Culture Couture

Niger designer Alia Baré, also the daughter of a former president, is working to weave together a positive narrative of her country through fashion.

time-read
5 mins  |
February - March 2024
'We Can Build A Real Unicorn Out Of Africa, Creating Impact'
Forbes Africa

'We Can Build A Real Unicorn Out Of Africa, Creating Impact'

Manish Sardana, the Nairobi-based co-founder of edtech startup Craydel, wants to democratize access to higher education in Africa and eradicate the study-abroad agent market.

time-read
10 mins  |
February - March 2024
A Record Year For Elections, 2024 Will Determine Global Geopolitics
Forbes Africa

A Record Year For Elections, 2024 Will Determine Global Geopolitics

We are all hopeful that 2024 will definitely bring better sense to people, particularly to those in power to make sincere amends to the lapses of the past.

time-read
8 mins  |
February - March 2024
For The Record
Forbes Africa

For The Record

A Brazilian producer and a Kenyan singer came together to create a song last year that sOared ujp music charts globally, and in collaborating With a an India-born director for the video, it is NOW a milestone for African sound.

time-read
4 mins  |
February - March 2024
The Best Game
Forbes Africa

The Best Game

SA20 Commissioner and former South African cricketer Graeme Smith on the ambition to create the biggest league outside of India, and why putting on a show off the pitch is as important to attract a new audience.

time-read
4 mins  |
February - March 2024
Cream Of The Crop
Forbes Africa

Cream Of The Crop

Food is the future and these proactive startups are focused on shifting agricultural practices to prepare for what is to come.

time-read
5 mins  |
February - March 2024