15 April 2020 by CXpress

15 April 2020

Published every Wednesday by CXpress 2006 (Pty) Ltd - PO Box 1449, Plettenberg Bay 6600 - 6 Park Lane, Plettenberg Bay - Tel: 044 533 1004 - Fax: 044 533 0852 Email: editor@cxpress.co.za / advertising@cxpress.co.za Web page: www.cxpress.co.za za Printed Printe rinted d by by Group G Editors Edittors

Covid-19 or ‘Covert-2020’...? p2

Interview with an activist p5

Lockdown feature

Photo: Martin Hurwitz

p6 & 7

FREE

Masks maketh the man

In the case of the Covid-19 pandemic, masks may go some way towards the salvation of mankind - if not providing any guarantee against contracting the novel coronavirus. Read more on page 4 about the local effort towards providing especially lessprivileged residents with masks, and turn to page 3 to find out what our smiling cover star, Jess Robinson, was doing along with many other local volunteers at Plett’s St Thomas Methodist Church on Easter Friday.

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CXPRESS

15 April 2020

NEWS & VIEWS

Snap survey sheds light on the state of our lockdowned nation N a snap survey conducted by the Mozambik Restaurant Group to better understand SA’s state of being during lockdown, it was revealed that most citizens feel social distancing should become the new normal in a post-Covid world. A 54% majority sentiment is clear, while 22% of respondents voted against the notion and 23% remained undecided. The survey was done from April 9-10, and responses collected digitally via wide targeting, with just under 600 responses received in a 36-hour period. “Digital and social media allowed us to interrogate various population strata,” says Mozambik CEO Manny Nichas. “We wanted to get a feeling of sentiment after

two weeks of lockdown and the announcement of a further period until end-April.” He added that nobody really knows what “next” is, and the snap survey forms part of the group’s larger interrogation of facts, figures and forecasts for a post-lockdown and Covid-19 trading environment. “While it’s a relatively small sample, it represents sentiment amid a lack of any other data.” • The survey reveals that 32% of respondents admit to having cabin fever; 31% say the opposite, while 36% “sometimes” get cabin fever. • An overwhelming 67% say they miss going out to restaurants, cinemas, the theatre and casinos, while 54% of respondents also miss spending time with family and friends. Shopping for anything but groceries ranked third as “most-missed activity” at 21% and 18% of those surveyed miss work. Many respondents are separated from their loved ones, missing lovers, partners and family as well as going to gym and church. One respondent lamented tongue in cheek about missing time ‘away from my family’. • Respondents say that home chores and maintenance around the house are keeping them busy (58%) and many others are working from home during lockdown (59%); 33% are spending time with their family and children while 37% are sleeping, reading and watching TV. • 73% rank going to a restaurant for dinner as the first activity they will engage in

after lockdown; 8% rank going to the movies or gaming, while 11% want to go to the mall. Other comments included taking children out for a day of fun and having a braai with friends. Just over 11% say they don’t really know what they will be doing after lockdown. • Curiously, a future-focused question ranks staying at home and not going out too often as the most likely behavioural outcome (28%); 24% will prefer to continue working from home, while 13% say ordering-in dinner as opposed to restau-

‘Respondents say that home chores and maintenance around the house are keeping them busy (58%) and many others are working from home during lockdown (59%); 33% are spending time with their family and children, while 37% are sleeping, reading, and wathing TV’ rant visits will become their norm. Online shopping as an alternative to mall-ratting received 16% support from respondents. • 63% of those surveyed are worried about the economy and their job security after the lockdown period, with 51% ranking concern over whether Covid-19 will have been contained by that time. Ranking third, 20% of respondents indicate uncertainty, saying they don’t know what is next. Many comments include concern for the

poor, the homeless, and the future of family and friends. • A positive outcome for domestic tourism is that 36% of respondents rank local self-drive holidays and 19% local holidays via air travel as most likely choice for vacationing; 28% rank regional beach holidays like Zanzibar and Mauritius as choices while only 13% say international holidays remain on their radar. Side-comments include bush-holidays and indicate that decisions are budget-reliant. • In an open-ended question about what respondents purchased prior to the lockdown, the common denominator was groceries, perishables and cigarettes, along with alcoholic beverages. Chocolate, pasties and snacks featured frequently, while arts and crafts and items to keep children entertained also received substantial mention along with cleaning and hygiene products, medication, toiletries and, interestingly, biltong. A handful noted a potential longing for junk food with several mentions of pizza, frozen or otherwise. “I can certainly identify with the results of the snap survey,” says Nichas, who believes that it reasonably represents sentiment right now. “We are all uncertain, crave a measure of social interaction, albeit likely different to before in terms of levels of engagement, while experiencing lots of stress about the economy and security of income. We need one another more than ever, and we must stand together and support each other.”

Letter from America: ‘Covert-2020’ strips us of right to control our minds and lives ‘Not as tepid as a few weeks ago’ is how DEBI NICHOLS describes this updated impression of Covid-19 in the States - read her initial letter on page 2 of the April 1 edition at www.cxpress.co.za HREE weeks of lockdown brings out weird and unexpected emotions, needs and desires. One of the strongest for me is the feeling of ignorance. I do not know what the real situation is with regard to Covid-19 infections in our city, or our local hospital, or even what is happening just a few blocks away. What’s the state of affairs in New York, where the kids are? It seems the less you know, the more you want to know and the less THEY want you to know - “they,” of course, being the media and government; the holders of the knowledge. After three weeks of frantic binge news channel hopping and internet surfing, I still don’t know anything I need to know. One moment a pretty CNN reporter, against the backdrop of a deserted New York street, tells us that chaos is reigning in New York City hospitals. Cut to images of chaos as masked and gowned medical staff run around in apparent panic in an overcrowded hospital ward. Cut to talking heads (the same ones they use to comment on and discuss everything, from gun control to abortions) for the next hour, talking all over each other and speculating wildly about the tiniest, most insignificant detail they can think of. They invariably end off by concluding that it definitely is all Trump’s fault, because he acted too soon; he acted too late; he has bad hair; his wife has a funny accent. An hour’s worth of discordant noise. The only thing left out of the show is actual, factual news that tells us what is going on. A picture is worth a thousand words and apparently bypasses the human BS filter, so the sole thing that sticks is the apocalyptic image of New York hospitals being overwhelmed. The search for fact and truth must continue. Tune to FOX news, only to be met by the same apocalyptic footage… No pretty reporter, but a little fellow who goes by the misspelt name of Tucker Carlson. A man so simian in looks - tiny little brown eyes just a bus ticket apart, and the

most puzzled look on his face - that no one could ever doubt he’s telling the truth. He simply looks too dumb to deceive. Anyway, he proceeds to prove before our very eyes that the footage of chaos currently happening in New York hospitals is actually two-week old footage from an Italian hospital… Over to FOX’s talking heads, babbling, shouting loudly and talking all over each other while assuring all that Trump is a fine man and doing a great job and nothing could possibly be his fault. And that Melania has a Boston accent. All the time, Tucker screws his little face up and listens so intently you can almost feel his concentration and confusion. He could be the king of Monkeyland. But, alas, no factual news is forthcoming on what is really going on: is Covid-19 going to kill us all, or will Trump and Biden get together, agree on what day of the week

it is, and then spectacularly save us all? After three weeks of listening to misinformation and blatant lies, I have come to the conclusion that the Covid-19 virus is not the problem. It is just a smoke screen vector for the Covert-2020 virus, which strips humans of the control of their minds and lives. It comes in the form of politicians and the media who have robbed us of our own free will and are having a whale of a time stripping us of our freedoms and manipulating us to do what’s best for them. If you doubt that, look at what your minister Cele has done to South Africans. No dops and no smokes…?! Maybe I’ve just been watching too much TV. Or perhaps the guy was right who said: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” But we don’t care enough to object when even the most basic pleasure is ripped from us without any rational reason.

NEWS & VIEWS

15 April 2020

CXPRESS

Bitou’s valiant community effort marred by claims of preferential distribution of food parcels Food relief efforts valued at more than R1-million, availed by Bitou Municipality and distributed during Easter, have sparked some controversy over the way in which beneficiaries were allocated - YOLANDÉ STANDER reports ORE than 15,000 Bitou residents with no means of putting food on the table have been given food parcels, which should last them a week, as a result of a collaborative effort between Bitou Municipality and other role-players. The municipality contributed more than R1-milllion towards purchasing food for locals suffering due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

“The programme was undertaken through the Bitou Covid-19 coordinating structure that includes various sectors like tourism, health, Hospice and business chambers,” municipal spokesman Andile Namntu said. With this money, an order for food to make up 3,500 food parcels was placed with the Spar group last Thursday. By the next day,

more than 73 tons of food were delivered in Plett. Garden Route District Municipality also donated 120 food parcels for distribution in Bitou. Numerous local volunteers jumped in to complete the mammoth task of packaging the food in time for delivery over the Easter weekend. Furthermore, the community-driven campaign Masks4All donated 3,500 masks to be included into each food parcel, in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus and safeguard

the most vulnerable members of the community. With regards to the distribution, Bitou ward councillor Dave Swart provided clarity. While the packing got underway, the municipality, with the assistance of councillors and community development workers, started preparing the beneficiary lists. Part of the criteria dictated that beneficiaries should not be earning a current income or receiving a grant - people with little or no means of buying food.

Lists of beneficiaries were drawn up by the municipality from its existing indigent household data, and the list of people who filed SASSA application forms about two weeks earlier. The handing out of parcels was supervised by councillors and community development workers, who recorded all parcel recipients. In some wards, distribution was done on a door to door basis, while elsewhere batches were dropped off at a point and distributed from there, or distributed directly from vehicles. Each parcel contains staples such as maize meal, onions, tea and dry goods that

could feed a family of five for a week, so more than 15,000 should benefit from the parcels. Swart was asked whether some people benefitted unfairly. “Probably, people take chances and include themselves for handouts when they do not qualify. Mostly this is discovered in time, but sometimes not. “Did some officials manipulate lists? At this point there is speculation but no proof of who did this, and no names of those who benefitted unfairly,” Swart said. The Easter food-distribution drive was a once-off municipal relief effort. Garden Route Media

VOLUNTEERS R US: Numerous residents signed up to assist in dividing and conquering the mountains of food and products, above left, availed by Bitou Municipality, in time for distribution during Easter weekend - pictured clockwise are, from bottom left, Tania Reddering; Antonia Bothner, with councillor Dave Swart and Mike Scholtz of Plett Business Chamber at right in the background; Duncan Brown of BI KwikSpar; and Plett Tourism CEO Marius Venter with wife Nelia. Visit the gallery at www.cxpress.co.za for more images. - Photos: Martin Hurwitz, Maggie Ubsdell, Katherine Thirlwell

Support of Knysna’s Covid-19 relief fund now essential NYSNA deputy mayor Aubrey Tsengwa on Sunday urged residents, NGOs and businesses to support the vulnerable during the extended lockdown. Tsengwa explained that donations to the municipality would be used to purchase food relief packs for vulnerable families throughout Greater Knysna. Funds will also be allocated for the procurement of equipment for isolation

and quarantine centres. “Our immediate need is to ensure that our people have access to essential food. Effects of the lockdown have been severe with many Knysna residents having lost their normal income during this time,” he said. Tsengwa said the municipality had activated its Social Relief portal on its mobile app to register applications for support. “We appreciate the ef-

forts of stakeholders such as Knysna Rotary, local church groups and nonprofit organisations in providing relief. It is important that every household in need be afforded an equal opportunity to access support. “However, not everyone’s qualification criteria are the same and without being prescriptive, we will ask our partners with similar relief programmes to share details of their beneficiaries with us

to prevent replications.” Three options are available for donors: • Purchasing pre-packed food parcels directly from a supplier. The municipality will provide the relevant contact details, and collect and distribute them. • A monetary donation into the relief bank account. Contributions can be deposited into Nedbank current account no 114 792 0699, universal branch

code 198-765, swift code NEDSZAJJ - please specify ‘FOOD’ or ‘ISOLATION’ in your deposit description. • Donate products at the drop-off space at Pick n Pay and Spar in Knysna. Items that will make a big difference include toothpaste, soap bars, washing powder, dishwashing liquid, bleach, white sugar, sunflower oil, cold drink mix, cake flour, teabags, long-life milk, tinned pilchards, macaroni,

rice, corned meat, soup mix, coffee, maize meal, yeast, salt, coffee, tea, samp, beans, and stock cubes. “Ward councillors and ward committee members are assisting the municipality in identifying the most vulnerable households who will have to apply in order to benefit from this donation,” Tsengwa concluded. Direct enquiries to Pam Booth at pbooth@knysna. gov.za or on 060 998 6967.

CXPRESS

Praise for Madison’s masks

Province promotes the wearing of masks by all N a statement on Sunday April 12, Western Cape premier Alan Winde reiterated that his team “is working hard to stop the spread and to save lives”, this after the seventh coronavirus death - that of a 61-year-old male - was recorded in the province on April 11. Winde continued: “We encourage wearing cloth masks for those going out in public, either to buy food, go to the pharmacy, or seek medical care. Residents are reminded that that N95 respirators and surgical masks should be preserved for the frontline medical staff who require this protection. “Cloth masks do not replace the golden rules of good hygiene, including regular handwashing and social distancing, which must still be adhered to. “Cloth masks must be properly worn and removed. They must also be washed and ironed after every use in order to be most effective in stopping the spread. Avoid touching your mask while wearing it and never touch the

Plett reader Michelle Solomon shared these pics and wrote: “Our daughter, Madison, is home from university in Cape Town during lockdown. She spent three full days last week making masks, singlehandedly completing 100 of these essential items which she donated for distribution to those who need them most. These acts of kindness and compassion among our youth deserve a little attention and encouragement, and I thought you might like to feature it in CXPRESS. By the way, how awesome that you are managing to keep your paper going! We as a community really do depend on it.”

NEWS & VIEWS

15 April 2020

inside of the mask.” [See the notices on page 5.] By April 14, the Western Cape had 657 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections with 13 cases each recorded in Knysna and George. The count in Bitou, which had ostensibly climbed to six, reverted to five confirmed infections, which provincial authorities claimed was resultant from a case allocated to Bitou on Monday, but which had shortly thereafter been re-assigned to Witzenberg, once address details were updated. “The laboratories sometimes use patient addresses on file at the time of testing, which are then corrected during the follow-up and contact tracing processes,” according to the statement. Help Bitou mask-makers By April 12, the Plett’s #Masks4All team had made 12,083 masks - produced, and packed for distribution Bitou’s less financially able. Explains the ‘masked man in charge’, Stephen Ritky: “All of these have

been made by local people, 95% as part of community teams who truly appreciate the opportunity to do meaningful work in these tough times while putting food on the table. “The current teams have the ability to produce 3,000 masks a day, but we have asked the majority to stand down as donations have been exhausted. “Our aim has always been not to use any funds donated to the Bitou C19 response team, who has massive objectives to reach. We have achieved the above and would like to continue without asking for their help. “We’ve been cleared to accept funds specifically for the making of free masks, so please consider supporting this initiative.” Your donation of R60 sponsors five free masks; R120 = 10 masks, R600 = 50, R6,000 = 500. Please EFT to: Account name ARSG, FNB (branch 250 665), acc no 6250 2987 904, reference ‘FREE’ + your cell number. • Watch this space, and the CXPRESS Facebook

page, for news on an isolation ward currently being established at Plett’s Piesang Valley hall. According to Bitou Covid-19 response team leader Dr Nicola Whiteman, this area could offer in excess of 75 beds for those awaiting diagnosis. She thanks the private donors who have joined forces to provide some of the beds and linen required for this purpose. We will feature the latest newsletter from Dr Whiteman on our website in the near future. Bank account details for donations towards the Bitou Covid-19 cause as follows: The Plett-Aid Foundation, FNB, acc no 620 632 77472 (branch 210 514), SWIFT code FIRN ZAJj, reference ‘Covid19 + your surname’. Financial contributions notwithstanding, donations of beds, linen, and towels are especially welcome, and plastic chairs would also be appreciated. Feel free to email plettcovid-19@gmail.com with a list of donated goods, your address, and contact details.

Knysna Oyster Festival to reconvene in 2021 HE Knysna Oyster Festival management committee has made the decision to cancel this year’s event and reconvene in 2021. The decision was made following calls from president Cyril Ramaphosa to safeguard citizens, as well as social distancing practices predicted to continue in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. “The health and wellbeing of Knysna, and the greater community, is of upmost importance to us,” commented Visit Knysna GM Colleen Durant. “For those who have already booked to attend this year’s programme, we encourage you to post-

pone your trip to 2021 when we will reconvene the festivities,” she added. The Knysna Oyster Festival remains an iconic annual event on the Western Cape calendar, bringing over 30,000 visitors to the scenic seaside town in the heart of the Garden Route. Over the past two years, community event planners have curated the programme to include the greater Knysna area, encouraging visitors to discover unique local gems situated both in and around the town. From cycling, running, arts and crafts exhibitions to unique culinary experiences - there is

something for everyone to enjoy at the festival. The Team Lead of each event will be in touch with relevant stakeholders, sponsors and participants to communicate the way forward, and then confirm dates for next year’s event, once finalised. Wesgro CEO Tim Harris commented: “It was not an easy decision for the festival committee to make. However, we believe it is the right one. The health and safety of the greater Knysna community is paramount, and we will continue to play our part in stopping the spread. “Knysna has shown extraordinary resilience many times before, and

you can be sure that the festival will be back bigger and better in 2021. “If you have already booked, we urge you to not cancel but postpone, and join in celebrating this iconic festival. “Although we would’ve loved to welcome back our many festivalgoers this year, we look forward to seeing visitors return in 2021 - with the Knysna Oyster Festival determined to emerge stronger with a fresh programme featuring new additions guaranteed to entertain. “Until then, we urge everyone to stay home and stay safe, so that we can welcome you again soon,” concluded Durant.

Paid community care workers now recruited in KwaNokuthula and surrounds DU-PLETT is currently on a drive to recruit 150 Community Care Workers (CCW) in and around Plettenberg Bay. These CCWs will be responsible for: • Distribution of sanitisers and soap; • Education and demonstrations on proper handwashing techniques; • Demonstrations on constructing Tippy Taps in areas without handwashing facilities; • Emergency treatment of water in areas without

adequate supply; • Disinfection of hightouch areas in high-risk spots; • Conducting clean-up campaigns including surface cleaning of public places such as schools, public halls, etc. • Cooking food; • Distributing and serving food; • Cleaning of surfaces or other areas as directed by the health workers on duty at the quarantine centre; • Conducting house-

hold screening activities; • Completing individual screening questionnaires; • Assessing patient temperatures. Training and Personal Protective Equipment will be provided for in collaboration with the Department of Health and Department of Public Works. Requirements • Youth (16-35 years of age); • Medically fit (tests to be conducted by DoH for

Covid-19); • Locally based; • Available for duration of contract; • Willing to sign the consent form and a threemonth contract. Email your recent CV to businessdeveloper@eduplett.co.za or noksie@ edu-plett.co.za or call 044 533 1929 for additional information. Your email must include a certified copy of ID and bank statement (both these documents must not be older than three months).

NEWS & VIEWS

15 April 2020

CXPRESS

South Africa on lockdown: An interview with an activist Ntombi Wonci shares her views on Covid-19 with WANDISILE SEBEZO HE has been described by some as a radical feminist (I think she also describes herself thus, for she can be quite radical…) but ultimately, she is pure activist - a social justice warrior, if you will - and a dear friend. For purposes of this piece, though, Sivuyisiwe ‘Ntombi’ Wonci is a Doctoral Candidate in Sociology at the University of South Africa in Tshwane. She is also a researcher for the Institute of Gender Studies. Ntombi is home in Plett for the duration of the lockdown and I picked her brain on the current pandemic, disturbing life as we know it. This is how it went: “When the first two cases were reported in China, I thought it was something that would just blow over. And that life would return to normal,” says Ntombi when asked about her initial reaction to the virus. As someone who has never lived through a pandemic before, I must confess that I didn’t pay attention to Covid-19 until the death toll started to skyrocket. For some reason we all thought the virus would be contained, given the way China was building hospitals in a matter of weeks. But that soon proved not to be the case. “When I read that it was spreading fast, I said to my-

self ‘it’s also coming to us’. Human beings play host to many active and inactive viruses; we travel and interact with one another, making us deadly carriers.” She believes that had we acted earlier and swiftly, with mandatory testing at all the country’s ports of entry, we could have at least contained it. She bemoans the fact that governments worldwide lack urgency in situations like these. “The international relations and health departments should have paid more attention as they are aware that China and South Africa are in constant interaction with each other, whether through trade, tourism, or diplomatic relations. “Of course we also connect with European countries like the UK and Italy, and the US, where Covid-19 cases increased apace within a space of weeks. “Travel bans, mandatory testing at airports and the lockdown could have been done much earlier. Our government could have acted when we heard that there were 10 cases in South Africa. Because, before cases multiplied here, they increased massively in Italy and the UK. “We could have taken that window of opportunity and implemented preventive measures, even shutting the country. The reluctance

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of the state to do this is also a quantitative reliance problem - that you need so many cases to prove that Covid-19 can be declared as a state of emergency. “Inherent to statistical and quantitative bias is the notion that human beings are just numbers. My take has always been that one person’s life lost to disease, violence, or an accident, matters. One person is enough to take stringent measures. We didn’t have to come to 400 cases for the state to declare it an emergency. One of the key aspects of Ntombi’s research at Unisa was focusing on the proposed controversial Nation-

Do not use N95 respirators and medical masks. There is a shortage and we must keep them to protect health workers caring for those with COVID-19.

MASKS Well made cloth masks do not replace the 5 Golden Rules of Good Hygiene. They may offer some extra protection if well made and used correctly.

IN MADIBA’S SHADOW: This pic of interviewer and interviewee was taken some time ago at Sandton Square in Joburg, where the sculpture in the background was installed on March 31, 2004 when it was officially renamed Nelson Mandela Square

Follow the 5 Golden Rules of Good Hygiene to stop the spread of coronavirus:

Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.

Use a cloth mask safely: • Remember cloth masks do not replace the 5 Golden Rules of Good Hygiene. • Well made cloth masks used correctly may offer some extra protection.

1,5 metres

Stay home if unwell. Contact a hotline or your health worker.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.westerncape.gov.za

ple in this country on a daily basis. If anything, during lockdown the poor will perish because of poverty and its associated social ills and inequalities, rather than death by corona.” Finally, I asked Ntombi: is there hope? “The world has been here before - the Spanish Flu is one example. Scientists might take time to find the vaccine, but they are at work. Some of us might not live for long enough to tell Covid-19 tales to our children, but I’m hopeful that some will. “In every epidemic there are bodies that pay the price. We shall honour those lives, remember them and reminisce on the moments we had spent with those who succumb to the virus. “Just like we have seen with the HIV/Aids epidemic, something will give. Some preventative intervention will finally work and some of us will be able to say Covid-19 is not a death sentence, as we do now with HIV. “Unfortunately, this will come at the price of thousands of lives lost. It is for those reasons that we need to cultivate ithemba (hope), individually and as institutions. “Ithemba is not only about the idea that things will be alright and that we will see another day or another era, but also about lowering anxieties so that we can think, create, and prevent the spread of Covid-19. Likhona ithemba, please stay safe.”

Use a cloth mask if you come into contact with people • Using public transport • Shopping • Attending essential services

1 When putting on the mask: • Wash your hands first. • Place the inside of a clean mask against your face. • Cover your nose and mouth. • Make sure it fits well, don’t touch the cloth part.

A good cloth mask: 2 While wearing the mask: • Do NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE or fiddle with the mask. • Remove the mask if it is wet.

3 When taking off the mask:

Keep 1,5 metres apart from others.

Do not touch your face with unwashed hands.

al Health Insurance (NHI) bill, which she thinks would have been of great benefit to the system in this time of widespread distress. “This pandemic has proven to the government that we need NHI to be implemented in South Africa as of yesterday. Part of the bill is to reengineer primary health care throughout the country,” she says. Asked to simplify the NHI bill, she explains: “NHI proposes that within a subdistrict, there should be so called Primary Health Care Catchment Units. “Within a district, the population is divided into subdistricts, depending its size.

You will then have 1,000 people who are served by a General Practitioner and a multidisciplinary team consisting of nurses, community health care workers, and specialists. “The PHC catchment unit will be your first entry into the health system. This means that before you go to a hospital you first consult your GP and the team. “Through Community Health Workers, the unit promotes general health, health education, prevention of diseases, adherence to treatment, and so on. “Imagine if we already had this kind of structure within our health system, how far we would have been in educating people, along with mass community testing and prevention of Covid-19?” She adds that NHI is based mostly on the “prevention is better than cure” philosophy. As we all know now, no truer words have been said - the world over we’re struggling to repair and do damage control to something that could have been prevented if we had affordable universal health care. With South Africa being described as the world’s most unequal society, how do you think people on the ground, the poor and the vulnerable, will cope? “The lockdown and Covid-19 will intensify the violent structures that kill peo-

• Touch only the straps. • Keep it in a container until you wash it. • Wash your hands after taking it off.

4 Caring for your masks: • Have 2 masks so that you have a clean one ready. • Do not share masks with other people. • Wash the mask with soap and hot water. • Dry the mask in the sun and iron it to disinfect it.

• Has at least 3 layers:

– Outer two layers are made from thick weave cotton like denim, calico, upholstery fabric or shweshwe. – Inner layer made from soft cotton. – Avoid T-shirt material. – Use fabrics that can be washed in hot water and ironed. • Is square with 3 pleats to ﬁt well. • Covers from above the nose to below the chin and up to the ears. • Has straps that tie behind the head.

If you are sick with coronavirus or caring for someone who has it, speak to your health worker or hotline about what masks and protection to use. FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.westerncape.gov.za

CXPRESS

15 April 2020

LOCKDOWN FEATURE

15 April 2020

CXPRESS

INTERVAL

15 April 2020

Humour for short attention spans… • The other day I was in a hurry to go outside... In my haste I accidentally ran into the screen door and strained myself! • Yesterday I was in the bank when two men came in wearing masks... Everyone felt a huge relief when they told us it’s only a bank robbery. • If you are 40+, it’s time to leave them young girls alone and get you a woman that understands the signs of a stroke. • ”Jesus Loves You.” Nice to hear in church, but not in a Mexican prison. • Why was 2019 afraid of 2020? Because they got into a fight and 2021... • Just found out on my tax return that there’s a limit on dependents... I thought 45 was reasonable, but I was wrong. • Signboard outside a prostitute’s house: Married men not allowed. We serve the needy, not the greedy. • Some thief’s just pinched a pair of my wife’s panties off the washing line. She’s not bothered about the panties, but she wants the 12 clothes pins back. • It’s not hard to meet expenses... They’re pretty much everywhere. • My wife got a mudpack, and looked great for two days... Then the 1

mud fell off. • I got fired from my job as a taxi driver... It turns out my customers didn’t like it when I tried to go the extra mile. • Once my dog ate all the Scrabble tiles... He kept leaving little messages around the house. • A guy was admitted to a hospital with eight plastic horses in his stomach... His condition is now stable. • I just burned 2,000 calories... That’s the last time I leave brownies in the oven for too long. • My wife said she’d like to have another baby... I agreed. The one we have is starting to annoy me. • I’m great at multitasking. I can waste time, be unproductive, and procrastinate all at once. • Cenosillicaphobia is a real thing and it affects many people. What is it exactly? It is the fear of an empty beer glass. • People get impressed when I tell them my home is designed by a famous Italian... Until I invite them home and they realise I live in a Fiat. • What do you call it when you mix alcohol and American Literature? Tequila Mockingbird. • Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was 5

If you see a beer in this picture

You may have a problem called witchcraft... Today, it’s called golf. • Why did Shakespeare only write in ink? Pencils confused him... “2B or not to 2B?” • Cop: “I’m arresting you for illegally downloading

the entire Wikipedia.” Peter: “Wait! I can explain everything.” • A priest, a minister, and a rabbit walk into a blood bank. The rabbit says: “I think I might be a type-O!”

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B L O S S OM O W A AM W I N D B A G L E R N O S C R E E U O R E MA H A G O B E T WE E U E T A I N S U L T S T I I T R A L D E N T E R E G R A

ON THE SOAPBOX

15 April 2020

Letters to the Editor

Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600

The cost of saving lives - at all cost... We cannot save lives, we can only defer death. Having said that, we desperately need to save lives by making lives liveable by not making the living pay an unbearable price for buying maximum time for the dying. Collectively speaking (of course there are exceptions), lives are surely sacred and precious. That is why quality of life is so important and precious. About a week ago I wrote an urgent and open letter to our president (available on my blog beachshack. co.za). My appeal was to lift the lockdown with immediate effect. Yes, emphasise all possible safety measures like the wearing of masks, physical (why social?) distancing, limit gatherings to just a few people, etc. And of course, focus energy on our older and sick people. We took the maximum dosage of medicine (with extreme side-effects) and got into bed immediately the moment we saw the virus coming. Many internationally high-standing epidemiologists, such as Prof Knut Wittkowski, think we could not have done a worse thing. All the noise was about flattening the curve at all cost, but we are not flattening the curve. We are deferring the curve, and we are depleting all our economic and other resources and reserves during a time when we needed at all costs to ‘hunt and gather’. We had to do all we could to prevent a lockdown by living carefully and taking all reasonable precautions, preferably by ourselves, but even by legislation if necessary. Instead, we jumped into bed and started living off our precious

The year 2020: What a turning point in all our lives indeed With not a single person or nation exempt or being freed An apocalypse dawned upon us at the entry to this year A terror filling rich and poor with uncertainty and fear With no bias, differentiation, discrimination

few, if any, reserves. The lockdown decision is of course in line with international thinking. Figures are still very low in SA and it seems as if we are doing the right thing indeed. Acting in line with the world carries no risk. The stricter the lockdown, the more responsible it seems to a world out there. But there are so many unnecessary restrictions that I for the life of me cannot see how it contributes to curbing the spread of the virus. No one can point a finger. Or can one? Problem is, we cannot afford to take this “safe” route. By choosing this route, we are guaranteeing a scenario of anarchy on an unprecedented scale. The situation calls for a willingness to stick out government’s neck and act appropriately to a situation which calls for action according to what we here in SA can afford, not according to how other governments reacted. We must acknowledge that we do not have the luxury of first-world finances and stimulation packages. The package our government came up with amounts to 0.1% of our GDP, compared to the 7.5% of the developed countries. I am not criticising this - there is simply no more money available. In my open letter to the president, I strongly urged government to “vomit out” the unsustainable overdose we took too early in our coronavirus timeline, by lifting the lockdown immediately and rather administering milder, more sustainable doses of medicine. The essence of my argument was that surely after the first three weeks

of lockdown, the figures would be substantially higher than when the decision was first made, so based on their way of thinking, the lockdown would have to be extended each time it was due to end, until the figures indicated a proper slowdown. We are not flattening the curve, we are deferring it. How long this may take is anybody’s guess, but I think a year is being optimistic, with two years a reasonable guess. Figures may go down in the interim, but a second wave is then likely. Surely this scenario cannot even be contemplated? The cost of this lockdown is unaffordable but, more so, unnecessary. We could have virtually the same effect in terms of slowing the spread of the virus, but at a fraction of the cost. Maintaining the current “theme” of the plan necessarily implies an extension of the lockdown (as was indeed announced two Thursdays ago). Unless we divert from this strategy, which we will have to sooner rather than later, we will have several more extensions. The resultant bankruptcies and liquidations, unemployment, social unrest and uncontrollable crime are sure to send this country into a state of anarchy that will bring unbearable hardships to our people. On top of this, the mayhem on the ground and social upheaval will force government to lift or stop the lockdown at a time when Covid-19 figures would most certainly warrant this strong emergency medicine. I truly believe that this scenario will be much

The Change - no here, no there Bringing a level ground forcing each human to seriously start to care This lesson came the hard way, to introspect, yet glance beyond It moved us from materialism to value each heart-to-heart bond Beliefs and norms were rattled; important things

were suddenly not We picked up and revived so many virtues that we forgot Our priorities were all turned around, and so too every need We began now to realise it’s only love we need to feed Before we’ve been so arrogant, competitive,

worse than the worst direct effects of Covid-19, also in terms of lives lost due to hunger, poverty and a total lawless society. The real risk here is that by the time one realises the above was not dramatising a socio-economic scenario, we may be on an unstoppable, even unbreakable run-away train to anarchy. As said, life is sacred and precious, but we need to accept death, otherwise we will make life unbearable. How much of life at large are we prepared to sacrifice in our bid to defer death at all costs, even when imminent? Is the deferment of death for a relative few of those infected by Covid-19, the ultimate triumph, worthy of the sacrifice by millions of the most basic human rights of adequate nutrition and shelter? It is sure to result in their death anyway, either directly from starvation or indirectly from TB, flu or whatever diseases, because of a compromised immune system. Minimising deaths should not only apply to those we can identify and measure. PS: Just for perspective… About 5,000 children under the age of five annually dies of hunger in SA. About 5-million people in the world dies annually of hunger. Have we shut down the economy for this tragic situation? The average age of people who died in Italy is 82, of whom almost half had at least three other serious medical conditions. A seriously skewed perspective is formed if this is not taken into account - in other words, people dying from the virus vs people dying with the virus. Simon van Deventer, Plett

filled with strife But this made us empathetic, deeply valuing every life I wish we realised sooner, for how much better this world would be Much more peaceful and compassionate So let’s begin with you and me LM Dunn, Plett (This poem was penned on March 30. - Eds.)

CXPRESS

If SA’s privileged don’t give generously now, we will pay dearly later I haven’t left my property in five days. I feel like a baboon trapped in a cage. I irritate my family and they irritate me. But when I look through my window, I see the wide expanse of False Bay in front of me. I share my home with my wife and our teenager. We have wifi, Netflix, DStv and many, many books. Our fridge is packed with food. There are bottles of hand sanitiser all over the house. We have running hot and cold water, and three toilets. A man in his forties called Whisper installed a door in my house last Thursday. He lives in Khayelitsha in a tiny shack made of corrugated iron and plastic. His stand is smaller than my lounge, he told me. He shares that space with five people. Their toilet and single tap are outside the house. Whisper is a “piece worker” for a building contractor. If he doesn’t work, he doesn’t get paid. He has no savings and can’t get a loan or an overdraft from the bank. Many of us in the middle classes moan, as the old Afrikaans saying goes, with a white loaf under the arm. Where will Whisper and his family get food this week? If they comply with the lockdown, what will it be like in a few weeks’ time, with the six of them staring at each other in that tiny space with no wifi, TV or books? The first coronavirus infection in Khayelitsha was reported at the weekend. When will it reach squatter camps like Diepsloot, Masiphumelele and Imizamo Yethu? By the way, it is by no means certain that the lockdown will end on April 16. [The date of writing was March 31.] If the infection rate hasn’t peaked by then, we may well be in lockdown well into May. I’ll look across the bay to Khayelitsha, think of Whisper and feel... Feel what? Gratitude that I’m so privileged? Guilt? Anger? Sadness? Despair? I think there is broad consensus that the limitation on our freedom of movement is the correct move. Most agree that we have to “flatten the curve” of infections so our health services have even a remote chance of coping. But do enough of us fully realise the consequences of this decision to save lives? That it will leave millions of South Africans without jobs - that is, more than the 10-million who are already unemployed? Have we processed that hundreds of thousands of people, most of them young, will not have enough food to eat in the weeks and months to come?

This will undermine people’s health and children’s development. In fact, some people will die of hunger. In SA in 2020. What a terrible, terrible thought. The government is taking steps with its limited resources to save small and medium companies from total ruin and to help them pay their workers. The Rupert, Oppenheimer and Motsepe families have each donated R1-billion, and hopefully some other billionaires, too. But it seems to me when it comes to feeding people, especially children, in townships and informal settlements, civil society will have to come to the rescue. You and I. I hope the faith communities will act immediately. What is your congregation, mosque, synagogue or temple doing? If you want to contribute and can’t get involved in an initiative, my advice is to contribute financially (and generously) to Gift of the Givers. We know we can trust it with our money and we know it is a highly-effective NGO. It’s already helping the state with testing for the virus, with the provision of water to townships and has just donated a large amount of masks and bottles of sanitiser to hospitals. We don’t know what is going to happen next, but we have to be prepared for a scenario where there will be grave human suffering and many thousands of deaths. Each one of us should now consider how we will judge our attitudes and actions during this time once the crisis is over. It will be too late for regrets. I sit safely in my lounge with its lovely ocean view, cup of coffee in my hand, watching YouTube clips of soldiers and police beating up and humiliating township dwellers who appear to ignore the rules of the lockdown. Whisper could be one of them, if he couldn’t stand the tiny space and risked a stroll down the street. Life in an over-populated settlement is already precarious and the coronavirus crisis will increase the tension substantially. If our armed forces disregard the advice of our president and employ sjamboks and rubber bullets instead of compassion and empathy, it could unleash localised uprisings that could endanger our precious stability. Human solidarity is going to be key to surviving this catastrophe, people say. How do you and I contribute to that, make it happen? Max du Preez, by email (Max is the publisher of vrye weekblad.com and this letter first appeared in the Ideas section at timeslive.co.za - Eds.)

CXPRESS

15 April 2020

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