DVA1502
ASSIGNMENT 2
SEMESTER 2 2025
(Answer Guide)
TH
737656 – Due 15
September 2025
QUESTIONS WITH 100%
VERIFIED AND
CERTIFIED ANSWERS.
,DVA1502 ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2025 (Answer Guide) 737656 – Due 15TH
September 2025
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2025
Contents
Title ..................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................2
Background: Short Background on COVID-19 and How It Started (10 marks) ......................2
Section A: How the World and South Africa Were Affected .....................................................4
1. Demographics ........................................................................................................................4
2. Healthcare ...............................................................................................................................5
3. Education ................................................................................................................................6
4. Economic Opportunity ..........................................................................................................7
Section B: How the World and South Africa Responded .........................................................7
1. Demographics ........................................................................................................................8
2. Healthcare ...............................................................................................................................8
3. Education ................................................................................................................................9
4. Economic Opportunity ........................................................................................................ 10
Comparative Synthesis ............................................................................................................... 11
Conclusion and Policy Recommendations .............................................................................. 11
References .................................................................................................................................... 14
, Title
The Impact of COVID-19 on Inequalities: A Comparative Analysis of a South
African Township Family and a Suburban Family in a High-Income Country
Introduction
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in late 2019 rapidly developed into
one of the most significant global health crises in recent history. Declared a pandemic
by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, COVID-19 not only strained
health systems but also exposed and amplified existing inequalities within and between
nations (WHO, 2020). While the virus affected populations worldwide, its social,
economic, and educational consequences were unevenly distributed, disproportionately
impacting vulnerable communities and low- and middle-income countries.
This assignment examines the impact of COVID-19 by comparing two fictional families:
one residing in a low-income township in South Africa, and the other in a middle-class
suburb of a high-income country. Each family comprises four generations grandparents,
parents, teenagers, and children which allows for an exploration of the intergenerational
consequences of the pandemic. The discussion focuses on four critical areas:
demographics, healthcare, education, and economic opportunity.
The aim is to demonstrate how the pandemic deepened inequalities across these
domains, while also highlighting differences in how the world and South Africa
responded to the crisis. By adopting a comparative and structured analysis, this paper
illustrates the ways in which COVID-19 intensified structural inequalities, both at the
global level and within South Africa, and considers the implications for long-term social
and economic development.
Background: Short Background on COVID-19 and How It Started (10 marks)
COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-
CoV-2), a novel virus first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 (Wu et al.,
ASSIGNMENT 2
SEMESTER 2 2025
(Answer Guide)
TH
737656 – Due 15
September 2025
QUESTIONS WITH 100%
VERIFIED AND
CERTIFIED ANSWERS.
,DVA1502 ASSIGNMENT 2 SEMESTER 2 2025 (Answer Guide) 737656 – Due 15TH
September 2025
VERIFIED AND CERTIFIED ANSWERS. WRITTEN IN REQUIRED FORMAT AND WITHIN
GIVEN GUIDELINES. IT IS GOOD TO USE AS A GUIDE AND FOR REFERENCE, NEVER
PLAGARIZE. Thank you and success in your academics.
UNISA, 2025
Contents
Title ..................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................2
Background: Short Background on COVID-19 and How It Started (10 marks) ......................2
Section A: How the World and South Africa Were Affected .....................................................4
1. Demographics ........................................................................................................................4
2. Healthcare ...............................................................................................................................5
3. Education ................................................................................................................................6
4. Economic Opportunity ..........................................................................................................7
Section B: How the World and South Africa Responded .........................................................7
1. Demographics ........................................................................................................................8
2. Healthcare ...............................................................................................................................8
3. Education ................................................................................................................................9
4. Economic Opportunity ........................................................................................................ 10
Comparative Synthesis ............................................................................................................... 11
Conclusion and Policy Recommendations .............................................................................. 11
References .................................................................................................................................... 14
, Title
The Impact of COVID-19 on Inequalities: A Comparative Analysis of a South
African Township Family and a Suburban Family in a High-Income Country
Introduction
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in late 2019 rapidly developed into
one of the most significant global health crises in recent history. Declared a pandemic
by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020, COVID-19 not only strained
health systems but also exposed and amplified existing inequalities within and between
nations (WHO, 2020). While the virus affected populations worldwide, its social,
economic, and educational consequences were unevenly distributed, disproportionately
impacting vulnerable communities and low- and middle-income countries.
This assignment examines the impact of COVID-19 by comparing two fictional families:
one residing in a low-income township in South Africa, and the other in a middle-class
suburb of a high-income country. Each family comprises four generations grandparents,
parents, teenagers, and children which allows for an exploration of the intergenerational
consequences of the pandemic. The discussion focuses on four critical areas:
demographics, healthcare, education, and economic opportunity.
The aim is to demonstrate how the pandemic deepened inequalities across these
domains, while also highlighting differences in how the world and South Africa
responded to the crisis. By adopting a comparative and structured analysis, this paper
illustrates the ways in which COVID-19 intensified structural inequalities, both at the
global level and within South Africa, and considers the implications for long-term social
and economic development.
Background: Short Background on COVID-19 and How It Started (10 marks)
COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-
CoV-2), a novel virus first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 (Wu et al.,
