MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Have you Killed Anyone Yet?

By

South Africa is in a 21 Day Lockdown

As you read this look around you and calculate just how much space you have available to you in your own home. I am guessing that you have lots of ‘Living Space’ OR, as a famous Charlie Chaplin lookalike once put it; “Lebensraum”.

Now pause and think about those living very close to you in shanty towns, townships and temporary shelters – they do NOT have as much Lebensraum as you do, they do not have the luxuries of fridges, pantries, gardens, fresh air, sunlight, clean water, sewage.

The children from these communities do not go to school anymore AND this means that they are missing out on the ONE important daily meal that they depended upon for nutrition.

These children’s parents were living on Social Grants, Old Age Pensions, Disability Grants PLUS the ‘off the books’ cash work that they could scratch out as maids, gardeners, casual labourers, thieves and dealers.

NOW they mostly have to rely on that pitiful social payment at the end of the month.

So far it appears that the Coronavirus Epidemic has not hit these most vulnerable of our population BUT reports are already filtering in to MyPE of the imminent failure of people in Motherwell to feed their children and themselves.

Imagine if you will that if Motherwell is already starting to feel the effects then how dire is the need in areas where there is not enough money to buy even R2.00 of data?

In the meantime we sit in our Ivory Towers and bemoan the fact that we have to spend time indoors with people that we could grow to dislike even more. We joke about how there could be a death in the home – and NOT from Coronavirus. We report people for ‘walking in our neighbourhood’, we censure everyone else for faults and not adhering to the COVID-19 Disaster Regulations.

We share images of our indoor braais, our ‘meaningful lives’ and videos of us playing with our dogs to demonstrate just how ‘hard’ life is. We dress the part before going out, we steal from other countries and play music in our sterile environments in a bid to ‘uplift’ our fellow citizens. We post stuff on social media without substance whilst trying to send a message; “I am alright Jack, Fuck the Needy!”

BUT

For our South African Citizens on the wrong side of the money border, life is far more real and immediate – at one fell swoop we took away their ability to survive on a day to day basis, then we forced them to congregate together 10 to a room in ‘self isolation’.

Get real people, these guys have NEVER experienced a day alone EVER.

The sad reality of life is:

  • This virus arrived in our country via intercontinental transport – a mode of transport completely alien to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters residing in the Townships, Squatter Camps and parks of our cities.
  • South Africa has the highest AIDS infection rate in the world – serving up a double whammy of concern.
  • Our population lives from hand to mouth.
  • If the Coronavirus hits our most vulnerable cooped up cheek by jowl then we can expect a massive number to die.
  • Heaven forbid that this then becomes an US and THEM situation where a certain sector of our population receives the blame for transporting this virus into South Africa.

What can we do?

  • Effectively? Nothing!
  • All control has been assumed by our Government.
  • Pray that they do not become heady with control and make matters a tad more difficult once this is over.
  • We can listen to the pleas of assistance coming out of areas such as Motherwell and lobby as many people as possible to take action.
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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.