Civil society organizations and COVID-19 in Limpopo province, South Africa: assessment of impacts and coping strategies

The measures instituted by national governments to abate the proliferation of COVID-19 had immediate and dramatic ramifications on most sectors and socio-economic players of the society, including the civil society organizations (CSOs). In view of the important role played by CSOs in assisting national governments to address social and economic vices within communities, it is critical to understand the extent to which they were affected by the pandemic and determine the coping strategies instituted. In this study, the mixed methods research design, premised on a survey of 143 questionnaires and 34 key informant interviews, was adopted to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on CSOs and determine their coping strategies in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Results show that organizational finances were over-stretched and CSOs with unsustainable funding streams were the most affected. Funding completely ran dry in some instances, resulting in halted operations and fueling job losses. The pandemic-induced restrictions disrupted the CSOs value chains, distressing inbound and outbound logistics, operations, and community outreach. Several coping mechanisms were instituted, including value chain re-engineering, modification of strategic goals and operational strategies, diversification of funding streams, and accelerating digital transformation. The study concludes that COVID-19 had a largely deleterious impact on CSOs. While most organizations managed to build resilience using various coping mechanisms, some faltered and recovery will be slow given the ongoing strained macro-economic conditions. The concerted effort by national governments to resuscitate and capacitate the CSOs is recommended since they play a pivotal role in assisting the government in alleviating community emergencies.