This being the last column for the year, I thought it would be full of laughter and levity, the elements that characterise my writing. Sadly, there is very little to be cheerful about.
As a country, as a continent, as part of the rest of humanity, we are in trouble. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that Covid-19 is not about to disappear, that it will continue to claim more lives, rob people of their jobs, and generally wreak havoc over the next few months, or even years. But human resilience can never be underestimated.
Over many centuries, humanity has triumphed over adversity. We can do it again. But we can’t rely on divine intervention or miracles. We can turn the tide if we act positively. Part of this pragmatism is the simple acceptance that this thing kills. Personally, I have buried four people who were close to me over the past month.
Yes, they’d tested positive to the virus before it finished them off in a matter of weeks. I have accepted that this monster does not discriminate in terms of class and age. When this country was first hit by HIV/Aids back in the 1990s, it took a long time for many of our people to accept that we were faced with a killer. Many of our people, once their loved one fell ill, blamed neighbours and relatives – bamthakathile (they’ve bewitched him/her).
To this day, there are people who still refuse to admit that their loved ones were killed by Aids. Denialism is still the major challenge we are faced with as Covid-related illnesses claim the lives of our people. Last month I posted on my Facebook page a simple message: Let us close our beaches for the festive season! In less than an hour I had at least 400 responses to my call.
Many of the responses were downright insulting, calling me a privileged self-hating black person. Didn’t I know that the festive season was the only time many underprivileged black people flock to the sea to not only enjoy themselves but to wash away the bad luck and suffering visited on them by unsympathetic, exploitative employers?
On and on the diatribes went. Mind you, this was even before tougher restrictions were imposed on Nelson Mandela Bay making the metropole virtually closed. I was not surprised when President Cyril Ramaphosa this week announced the closure of beaches in Eastern Cape and the Garden Route, and also putting restrictions on some along the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
As the country battled a second wave of the killer respiratory disease, Ramaphosa had to do something. The cumulative number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country was at 866,127 at the last count, with 23,451 deaths. Unlike the first wave, this time the new infections have affected youngsters in the age group 15 to 19. This group is vulnerable because it is highly mobile.
Those opposed to the closing down of beaches argue that these spaces are open and therefore not conducive to the spread of the disease. The reality is that all public spaces – indoors and outdoors – increase the chances of the spread of the virus.
If you have been to the Durban beachfront over the festive season, or even if you have seen aerial pictures shot in this area during this period, you will be sympathetic to the call for restrictions. The overcrowding is breathtaking.
Closing the beaches is not the total and final strategy. But it’s a necessary intervention. We have to marshal all the resources at our disposal. Yes, the hotels and restaurants along the coast will suffer, and some jobs might be lost, but this pandemic requires of us to make some sacrifices if we are to turn the corner.
On that sombre note, I wish you a safe festive season. You can still enjoy yourselves, with family and friends, at home.
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