So we are almost a week into the lockdown already and though things may look dark, we have to remember this will not last forever.
Apart from being cut off from my family and friends, I also feel cut off from my community.
We, as media workers, classified as rendering an essential service, are supposed to be the eyes and ears of the rest of you. But working from home with limited resources I realised that you, the community are not only the eyes and ears but the heart and soul as well.
After reports of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) moving into Kagiso, I decided I needed to go and check. So many reports in the community said there are no police, no SANDF and no law enforcement to keep people in line.
I saw an elderly man in Kagiso walking home. He had one tiny bag of groceries with him and a mask on his face. A hundred metres away hundreds of people were queuing to get into a shop. No social distancing, just a fight to get some food, while the idea of the SANDF on their way to Kagiso loomed over their heads.
What made me sad about this elderly man was his mask. It made me think that he really did not want to get sick but the hundreds of people around him were not helping. These people who do not obey the rules are more of a threat to him, than the virus itself.
He has to spend his 21 days in a small home, he has to stand in line with the hundreds of others just to get food with his little grant money, so he can stand a chance to survive this horrible virus.
He made me think of the people on the street, the homeless people we drive past every day. He made me think of all the other elderly residents who have to brave the outside just so they can survive. He made me think of those in our community, the poor, the hungry and the needy.
And while the rest of us are trying to cling to our sanity with our husbands and children in a small space, these people are having sleepless nights, wondering how they are going to survive.
On Monday night, 30 March, our President thanked all the unsung heroes. I want to thank the heroes in our community, the ones making sure life is as normal as possible for us, putting their lives on the line for ours.
I know times are hard but if you are able, please donate to our local charities; they need us now more than ever.
To the rest of my community, I miss you and will see you soon; be safe.
