[imagesource: Werner Hills]
As South Africa enters day six of our national lockdown, everyone is finding their own coping mechanism.
Some of us can kick back and watch Netflix every night (Tiger King – do it), others are up in arms about not being able to walk their dogs or go for a jog (you can’t do either – here are the fines for doing so), whilst one street in George decided to keep calm and braai on.
That last one proved particularly divisive, with many saying that it smacked of privilege.
Whatever your views, you’ve probably seen some of the media portrayals of the lockdown in places like Alexandra, and clips of offenders in Soweto doing push-ups and squats due to breaking the lockdown laws.
Then there is this video, shared by Mmusi Maimane:
Bafethu @CyrilRamaphosa , @RonaldLamola @SAPoliceService the civilians are not the enemy. The virus is the enemy.
This is not right. Let’s respect civilian rights and have all security officers observe the law. pic.twitter.com/fyBdwTmLqF
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) March 30, 2020
Before you talk about people not adhering to the law, remember that your lived reality may well differ from those who call townships and informal settlements home.
TimesLIVE spoke with residents of the Lapland informal settlement in Uitenhage about why some people are still venturing outside:
“We are willing to risk being arrested by the police or be infected by the [corona]virus because the government doesn’t understand how it feels to hear your baby crying from hunger.”
These were the heart-rending words of Natasha Stalmeester, 38…who made no bones about the fact that many people in her area were trying — usually unsuccessfully — to make it into town in the hope that someone would pick them up and give them work.
With no money to provide for their families, residents say they are left with no choice, and their cramped living spaces make following the lockdown rules near to impossible.
Other Lapland residents pointed to the fact that they “have no toilets, it floods during heavy rain and snakes are frequent visitors to the area”.
Social grants are being dished out this week, but they are barely enough to survive (see those numbers here), and many rely on odd jobs to keep their heads above water.
Here’s Stalmeester again:
“I don’t have food as we speak. I don’t have a job,” she said.
“I rely on odd jobs — the social grant for my one child only supports us to the middle of the month and I have to borrow money from shops.
“I’m afraid that the lockdown might be extended.
“This area is not hygienic, the sewage drains spill over every day — they get fixed after three months, then they spill again and our children get rashes.”
Other residents point to the fact that children were often fed at school, which helped ease their financial strain, but that is no longer the case.
In addition, other food relief, like soup kitchens and deliveries, have now ceased.
Here’s one resident voicing his concerns:
Residents of Tirryville and Lapland, Uitenhage, feel government has forgotten about them as their current living conditions have become even worse because of the #COVID19 pandemic. #LockdownSA
@sonic303 pic.twitter.com/cTv6dGvmdh
— HeraldLIVE (@HeraldPE) March 31, 2020
You can read more about the concerns of those residents here.
There was a mixed reaction to the video that showed police in Delft, Cape Town, spraying people with water to force them back into their homes, and community leaders in that area believe that some mistakes are being made on the part of law enforcement.
Pastor Charles George, the Community Policing Forum chairperson in Delft, spoke with IOL on Monday:
“To lock down a township is not possible because the make-up of a township is very different from that of a suburb, where the environment allows for people to stay at home…
“If you’re wanting people to take ownership and responsibility, then give them the power to make those decisions and incentivise them…How do you lock down a township? How do you lock down backyarders? How do you lock down people who don’t have access to infrastructure.
“You can’t assume everyone has access because the majority of people don’t. If you want to put out messages via social media, it’s better to empower the influencers in the community – your community leaders – then it is loud and clear…
“There are so many people currently that don’t have a meal. Kids received their meal from school feeding schemes, but now the schools are closed.”
Some food for thought, there.
This lockdown affects us all, but it affects us all in very different ways.
Those of us fortunate enough to be able to stay indoors, venturing out only for essential items now and again, should remain mindful of the challenges that other South Africans are facing.
