Johannesburg – Approximately a year ago, most people had not heard of the pandemic that was raging in other parts of the world.
South Africa was blissfully unaware of the storm that was brewing. The word lockdown was the title of a TV series until Cupcake called a family meeting and shut down the country for 21 days.
We had no inkling of what was in store when he extended it by two more weeks and then launched alert level 5.
The country is still much in lockdown and we have lost many colleagues and our next of kin to this virus.
This week, the media fraternity is reeling following the passing of veteran journalist Karima Brown, who succumbed to a Covid-19-related illness.
Brown was a consummate newshound who made foes along the way. The job of a journalist is to build relationships, though stepping on toes is par for the course. As the news of her passing on broke, I noticed some insensitive comments on social media celebrating her death. This was not the first time. When Minister Gwede Mantashe contracted Covid-19 last year, some clouts wished him demise and when Jackson Mthembu died in January, others said God should have taken Police Minister Bheki Cele instead.
I have no idea where such callousness comes from. Covid-19 initially brought out our innate Ubuntu when we rallied behind those who did not have the means to survive a lockdown. Chefs rushed to the kitchen to prepare meals for the poor and many of us donated our half pennies to the Solidarity Fund.
As the rate of infections heads south and the lockdown is relaxed, some are once again behaving like the virus has disappeared. A video emerged this week of Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune partying a storm.
The sometime captain of South Africa’s most famous soccer club did not seem to have a care in the world despite his team firing blanks.
Khune is the villain who recently cost the team dearly when he committed amateurish blunders that allowed the opposition to rattle his net. He follows on the heels of his manager, Bobby Motaung, who also defied regulations and partied with slay queens when we were instructed to stay at home.
This has left a sour taste in the mouth to see a role model set a bad example. The country suffered a second wave of Covid-19 as a result of super-spreader events such as the matric rage and nightclubs failing to enforce hygiene protocols.
An expert has predicted that the easing of lockdown restrictions ahead of Easter and the winter season will likely fuel the onset of a third wave.
This is the advice we best heed and remember that the virus is not going anywhere anytime soon.
I’m a renowned connoisseur of alcoholic beverages but I have long jettisoned my shebeen queen for the safety of my lounge.
I’d like to urge you one more time to avoid crowded places.
RIP Karima and condolences to your family.
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