A Year Into COVID-19: An Overview of the Impact on Human Rights

By Nonkululeko Tshabalala

March 2021 marks one year since COVID-19 struck South Africa. The sudden attack of the pandemic brought not just physical trials, but emotional ones too. We were still trying to figure out how to pronounce “COVID-19”, never mind accepting how it was impacting our daily lives. The atmosphere of concern heightened, as many citizens expressed their worries and frustrations over what was going on around them. While others were still on the verge of accepting what was about to become our new normal, the world was already evolving at the expense of most, if not all, livelihoods. This piece will give an overview of how human rights have been affected in the midst of COVID-19. It will also discuss how the lockdown protocols have overruled our freedom in many aspects in our lives which led to the compromising of human rights to bodily and psychological integrity; to food, water and shelter; to basic education; to healthcare; and to freedom of belief and religion. When COVID-19 infection rates were on the rise, President Ramaphosa reacted to the pandemic with great concern, shutting down the country as an act of goodwill in order to protect the citizens of South Africa. Beyond the common occurrences of losing a job or a loved one, human rights violations became increasingly popular during the nationwide lockdown. During the implementation of the new pandemic protocols, this negligent treatment of human rights resulted in segregation throughout different aspects of the country. The pandemic has placed harsh constraints on the way of living for the average citizen in South Africa. Living in the Southern Township of Johannesburg has exposed me to multiple acts of injustices at the hands of the government, its military and its police service. Police officers were allocated throughout areas in their attempt to enforce cautionary protocols. This micromanagement included methods of violent intimidation to ensure cooperation of citizens when

As the youth of South Africa, we feared for our lives. The trauma of it all made us wonder if this was the second coming of the apartheid era. The fundamental right to freedom in South Africa has been revered ever since the end of apartheid, but the manner in which the pandemic protocols were executed reminded us of a time when the right to freedom and all it encompassed was overlooked in favour of national policy. Our right to feel safe was once again being overrode through the abuse of power by law enforcement.

The most significant protocol during the lockdown was the importance to ‘stay at home’, in order to keep safe. When confined in one place without a choice, staying at home can sometimes feel like captivity: It weighs heavily on one’s mental health, which has been a kind of ‘second plague’ during the lockdown. Many feel as if their right to bodily and psychological integrity has been compromised by the new way of living under COVID-19 regulations. Adjusting to the new normal was not a choice and the lack of human interaction led to negative psychological effects. Having to isolate from loved ones meant crippling loneliness for so many that require human interaction for their mental well-being. Our lives were now defined by technology which became the sole medium of communication between those who had access to it.

However, technology brought misery among those who did not have access to it such as learners whose parents or guardians are average citizens in South Africa. Due to lack of access to technology, COVID-19 has further entrenched socio-economic inequality amongst the population, as seen by thousands of learners who found themselves feeling excluded. A lot of learners found themselves on the dark side of the educational system because they did not have any device that could grant them access to education. Remote learning only served to widen the already-gaping socio-economic gap even further, destroying hope of a large population of youth whose dreams of self-empowerment were pushed aside by the introduction of remote learning. The youth who had depended on the school environment to change their lives for the better had thrown in the towel. In a country where basic education is considered a luxury more than a basic right, education became even more exclusive due to lack of access.

One of the most notable impacts of the pandemic was the economic decline that has resulted in increased poverty and debt amongst the working population. Fundamental rights to food, water and shelter were affected, as many tried their best to survive with the little they had. Although the government rallied the COVD-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant, it did little to curb the growing socio-economic crisis. Inflation on essential goods meant further strain on an already dire situation. Issues included the government’s misallocation of funds due to a lack of due diligence and poor oversight when it came to the distribution of COVID-19 relief. Some barely had access to adequate food while doctors were stressing nutritional diets for all citizens in order to obtain a strong immune system. It was impossible to stress such on the working population because of their circumstances which made them prone to contracting COVID-19 and needing medical attention. As the number of COVID-19 related deaths and infections rose, the strain on the already-compromised healthcare system across the country became tremendously alarming. Government-run hospitals were under increased strain due to severe lack of resources. As a result, the basic right to healthcare has been further neglected.

The lack of medical resources increased the number of daily deaths. Losing a loved one due to COVID-19 was worsened by the fact that protocols for the deceased meant that families were not able to give them an appropriate send-off that was worthy of their religious and cultural beliefs. The right to freedom of belief and religion was limited in this sense as well as by the closing of religious sanctuaries and buildings to avoid public gatherings.

The impact of COVID-19 and its protocols has had a detrimental effect on human rights in South Africa: from how the rights of citizens were affected by exploring the aspect of ‘liberty’ in terms of not being able to move physically from one place to another and not being able to make decisions freely due to the implementation of the lockdown protocols and regulations, to the compromising effect of those protocols on our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

‘The fundamental right to freedom in South Africa has been revered ever since the end of apartheid, but the manner in which the pandemic protocols were executed reminded us of a time when the right to freedom and all it encompassed was overlooked in favour of national policy.’