As we enter our eigth month in lockdown, still battling the coronavirus, many struggle with pandemic fatigue as they tire of safety measures. However, Raven Benny calls on his fellow South Africans to keep heart and stay safe
As the world awaited the outcome of the United States presidential elections, one could only blame the president’s management of the pandemic for his demise. If he listened to advice and did not place the economy so high on his priority list, less lives would have been lost. He could even have faired better at the polls.
This while his British counterpart took a very responsible decision to lock down the country for at least a month. Other European countries are also about to take drastic measures against the flare up or second wave of the COVID-19 virus. There is an increase of up to 43 percent in the number of deaths according to a CNN report on 5 November 2020.
A similar matter bears heavily on the minds of many South Africans as a second hard lockdown looms in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus cases.
By now many people have reached a state of pandemic fatigue. We’ve had enough of wearing masks, social distancing and being locked in our communities unable to move aroud freely. Another round of this is unimaginable.
We saw in the past eight months the political ball game behind the fall out of food parcels, and the alcohol and cigarettes sale bans. The delivery of personal protective equipment became a major money spinner for many. This again could be our looming fate if we do not adhere to protocols with continued responsibility.
All this just when we became used to the new normal; when we all seem to agree that we can do most of our daily tasks in a safe and responsible manner. Yes, we had occasions of plain stupidity like huge gatherings in nightclubs that were termed super spreader events, and funeral attendance in huge numbers that too spread the virus rapidly.
We learned about contact tracing and Bluetooth technology that is being used as early warning systems. Municipalities learned to use samples from our wastewater treatment plants to identify “hotspots” where there are cases of mass community infections. There were some advances made in our response to the pandemic although we do not feature as a country developing a vaccine.
South Africa might just be a country that very cautiously uses all available information to its advantage and responds according to its capabilities. Our president could be a responsible leader in Africa, not removed from his people; showing good leadership skills and managing the response to the pandemic in a responsible manner.
He might be able to put the needs of everyone in the country first. Our President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa needs to make the tough decisions now and not delay the response to this renewed crisis. It will also be a good measure of his leadership and a chance to prevent massive loss of lives and possibly save some jobs in the process.
Even at QASA and Rolling Inspiration, we have endured many necessary changes that were not easy to manage, but we learned along the way.
People with disabilities have been equally affected by COVID-19 and all the other ills of society like crime and corruption just as everyone else. We too suffered losses while also being very fortunate to still be well supported until now.
However, we need to continue doing the right things like listening to our constituency; responding to the changes; innovate in project delivery; be conservative when sharing resources; and spread positive information about the achievements of our members. We must remain actively involved in our organisations, communities, and be proud citizens of our amazing country.
South Africa must become the leader on the African continent, and our approach to this disease should be decisive and responsible with very little political interference.
The United Kingdom’s lockdown came days after similar measures were enacted in France and Germany, ahead of several Italian regions becoming “red zones” as stated on the CNN website. Just as we responded early in March, it is time again to call on you, Mr President, to lead us into the future.
It is still filled with more uncertainty – a trait of 2020 that we have become accustomed to – but we have survived. We have shown tenacity and became a beacon of hope to many of our neighbouring countries.
Let us continue to stay safe, stay positive and stay optimistic that the little contribution by each one of us to combat the Coronavirus will set us on a new growth path in 2021. May this allow us to emerge victorious and enable us to experience the full and equal enjoyment of rights and freedoms as contemplated in the Constitution in all respects.
Raven Benny has been a C5, 6 and 7 quadriplegic since 2000. He is married and has five children, is mad about wheelchair rugby and represented South Africa in 2003 and 2005. He relocated from Cape Town to Durban, where he was appointed the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of QASA from August 1, 2019. email: coo@qasa.co.za.
