Despite low virus cases, Africa faces risks an hour ago A member of medical staff swabs the mouth of a resident during a COVID-19 testing campaign in Lenasia, South Africa. Reuters The coronavirus has hit a good number of economies around the world and Africa is no exception. In South Africa, load shedding is on the anvil. State-owned utility Eskom’s power cuts will probably make things worse, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday. The global lender in 2020 approved a $4.3 billion emergency loan for South Africa. South Africa’s gross domestic product grew quarter on quarter in the three months ending in December, led by expansion in manufacturing, construction and trade, but the economy recorded its biggest annual contraction in seven decades in 2020.