COVID-19 as a Game Changer for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4thIR): A Reflection from a South African Perspective.

The coronavirus disease has created an unconventional thought process since it gained pandemic status in March 2020. The pandemic has forced the world to make fundamental changes to how humans live, work, play and conduct businesses, as well as changed the norms in policymaking and sectors such as health and education. The world has gravitated towards advanced technology and an unavoidable embrace of the 4thIR as digital solutions are rising to save the day. Before the pandemic, scholars argued the pros and cons of the fourth industrial revolution. The oft-quoted statement is that the 4thIR is a force for disruption, and a threat to the livelihood of people as humans are being replaced with machines. However, with the current effect of COVID-19, the 4thIR has helped to navigate the unprecedented challenge that has hit the globe. Taking South Africa as a focal study and employing various literature sources, the paper expanded the debate on harnessing the 4thIR in the context of the new COVID-19 pandemic. The paper reviewed the 4thIR pre-COVID in South Africa, the furthering of 4thIR since the inception of the pandemic, and concluded with a forecast on the future of 4thIR adoption in post-COVID South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]