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STOKVELS
www.spotongmag.co.za
STOKVELS BEFORE,
DURING AND
AFTER COVID-19 The pandemic has changed everything but don’t let it stop your stokvel
B
efore the world was rocked by Covid-19 and we went under a national lockdown, stokvels were used to regular face-to-face meetings. Joining a stokvel before lockdown meant being included in a social aspect of saving and oftentimes, you would find new members joining by invitation or referral from others members only. The process of a traditional stokvel before lockdown might have looked something like:
However, many forward-thinking stokvels who were already using StokFella have felt minimum impact. StokFella has always made social distance possible even before the pandemic. These stokvels with StokFella before lockdown might have looked something like:
Joining a stokvel before Covid-19 with Stokfella
Joining a stokvel before Covid-19 without Stokfella
Then along came Covid-19 and it has changed the way we are allowed to work and socialise. With social distancing measures in place and laws that prohibit public gatherings, stokvels have been forced to adapt the way they manage meetings and communication. Those traditional stokvels who have been resistant to change have felt the full impact of the lockdown and have ended up looking something like:
Now maximising their forward thinking, these stokvels have further turned to technology as the solution and are using options such as Whatsapp and Zoom to host virtual meetings and add new members by using digital communication. The process for these stokvels at the moment during lockdown might look something like:
Joining a stokvel during Covid-19 with Stokfella
Joining a stokvel during Covid-19 without Stokfella
While not everyone is tech-savvy and some of us may feel awkward using it for the first time, tech use is growing rapidly as we are all being forced to adapt to this strange new world we find ourselves in, where even a simple handshake or hug is now considered a health risk.
