The full economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are not yet clear. What is certain, however, is that the virus, and the response to it, is kicking lumps out of businesses and economies. For South Africa, it’s a triple whammy. Besides the institution of a growth-sapping lockdown in response to the virus, the country also has to contend with being downgraded to junk status and a chronically weak economy, which was already in recession ahead of the pandemic.