I am really saddened by the pandemic because it is going to affect a lot of us badly and the economy. I wish traditional practitioners could tell if it the end of the world, punishment from creator or just a disease to teach people to respect and love one another.
My family is coping even if you can see the confusion in some. They wonder what Corona is. We live in a rural a area in GaMogashoa village, Ga Sekhukhune Limpopo, South Africa and we haven’t heard of anyone who has been infected which makes us feel safe. We believe in tradition and from our belief traditional practitioners used to do rituals to prevent diseases from entering our country back then and since most of the rituals are not being done anymore it might be another reason we have COVID-19. Another problem is a seasonal sickness that affect chickens, some of the family members are asking if this disease is the same. The fortunate part for chickens is that there is a tree that is been mixed with water for prevention and now with the people they don’t know what to do. Our children talk more about Corona but the problem is difficult to tell them to stay indoors the whole day. Some go to the neighbors to see their friends.
Some of the people say Corona is not there and some say it is for white people only. In most cases, people take long to believe until they see someone close or a friend infected. I still see some of the people who are always on the road for no reason. Some don’t even know the symptoms. I asked some of my friends their view on the virus and some said that we are all going to die. Another problem is some of the rumors and videos that are circulating about COVID-19. One video say the problem is caused by 5G which confuse us whether it is from animals or not. Another problem is people complain about basic services like water and electricity. Network is also not good and that makes things difficult. Taxis are also a problem as we have to go to Jane Furse to buy food and unable to come back early as taxis only operate in the morning and evening.
Another challenge in the community during this pandemic is unemployment, small businesses that have been affected and water scarcity. Some households do not have food. Those who were in towns looking for work have come home and the pensioners have to take care of them too. People will be spending more time at home and food won’t last which adds to the problems. Price hikes is also a problem. I bought eggs at a near shop for around R84, a day before the lockdown and the price had gone up to R100 meaning they have added R16 in few days because of lockdown.
