FROM CRISIS FROM TO ACTION CRISIS TO ACTION
FROM FR OMCRICRISISSIS TOTO A CTION ACTI ON Message from Message boardfrom chairperson, board chairperson, Mavuso Msimang Mavuso Msimang
“Another “Another world world is not only is notpossible, only possible, she is on sheher is on her – – way. Onway. a quiet On aday, quiet I can day,hear I canher hear breathing.” her breathing.”
The past year, The 2020, pastwill year, go2020, downwill in history go down as in one history South as one AfricaSouth had recorded Africa had 1 512 recorded 225 million 1 512 225 million 1 of monumental of monumental shifts and changes shifts and in how changes we live in howcases we live of Covid-19, cases and of Covid-19, 49 941 deaths and 49 , as 941atdeaths1, as at our lives. It was our alives. timeItwhen was athe time world when collapsed the world collapsed 28 February 28 2021. February 2021. in on itself, as incountries on itself, as turned countries inwards turned in panic: inwards in panic: imposed lockdowns, imposed isolated lockdowns, theirisolated populations, their populations, Words like unprecedented, Words like unprecedented, exhausting, relentless, exhausting, relentless, banned travel banned and public travelgatherings, and publicrestricted gatherings, restricted chaotic and deadly chaotichave and deadly filled our have consciousness, filled our consciousness, movement ofmovement citizens, and of citizens, economies andground economies ground and perhapsand none perhaps have taken noneroot havemore taken strongly root more strongly to a halt. to a halt. than the word than pandemic the word itself, pandemic the definition itself, the of definition of which is an occurrence which is an of occurrence a disease of that a disease affects that affects Healthcare systems Healthcare in even systems the most in even the most many peoplemany across people a whole across country a whole or the country or the well-resourced well-resourced and robust societies and robust of the societies of thewhole world2whole 2 . world . world threatened worldto threatened come apart to at come the seams, apart at the seams, and images of and overwhelmed images of overwhelmed and traumatised and traumatised Originating from Originating the Greek from words the Greek “pan” words “pan” healthcare workers healthcare were workers streamed were to streamed audiencesto audiences meaning all, meaning and “demos” all, and meaning “demos” themeaning people the people daily, from every daily,corner from every of thecorner globe,of asthe death globe, tollsas death tolls or population, orapopulation, pandemic therefore a pandemic affects therefore affects soared, and people soared,across and people cultures, across nationalities, cultures, nationalities, (nearly) all of(nearly) the people. all of the people. age groups and age vulnerabilities groups and vulnerabilities succumbed. succumbed. Which bringsWhich us to brings the other us pandemic, to the other pandemic, The cause ofThe thiscause upheaval? of thisAupheaval? tiny, microscopic, A tiny, microscopic, of which we of have which heard weand haveseen heard farand too seen far too unpredictable, unpredictable, airborne virus airborne which has, virusover which has, over much duringmuch a yearduring deluged a year by unimaginable deluged by unimaginable a period of 12a months, period ofbrought 12 months, the entire brought world the entire world acts of greed, acts self-enrichment, of greed, self-enrichment, and sheer and sheer virtually to itsvirtually knees and to itsstopped knees and us all stopped in our us all in lack our of humanity. lack of This humanity. is the pandemic This is the pandemic tracks. SARS-CoV-2, tracks. SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus the new behind coronavirus of behind corruption.of corruption. the disease Covid-19, the disease has, Covid-19, to date infected has, to date overinfected over 113 million people 113 million around people the world, around and thekilled world, and killed over 2.5 million. over 2.5 million.
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ANNUAL REPORT ANNUAL 2020REPORT 2020
1. https://covid19.who.int 1. https://covid19.who.int | 2. https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/pandemic | 2. https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/pandemic
