Caxton editor shares her experience of navigating through KZN unrest

MY nights were no different to anyone else. They were restless and sleepless. The sound of gunshots going off in the distance became the norm and acquiring food and basic necessities was a challenging encounter.

I’m Corrinne Louw, the group editor for Caxton Durban, and these experiences will forever remain etched in my memory.

On Tuesday, July 13, I slept at around 22:00. I was guarded by men and women who were armed to protect us. I woke up at 01:00 and was unable to sleep until about 04:00. Again, I know this was the case for most, but it was worse for others, mainly those guarding us.

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With that backdrop, I walked down one of the busiest streets in Durban at 07.45 armed with my bank card, takkies and a backpack on Wednesday morning. The mission: food.

First stop, Spar, closed. Next, the pharmacy, Sparksport, closed. Baking Pan, Reddys: closed.

Despondent, I marched on and looked to my right and saw an uncle operating his meat cutter at Debs Butchery. With him was a young man packing meat. “You open uncle and do you have meat?” I asked. “Yes, I got lamb come, R130 per kg,” he said in response. My second question, “You got sausages and mince?” To which he replied, “No mince, but I got sausages.”

My first thought was, ‘Let me tell people by sharing this information on my WhatsApp status’. So I place my order and update my status.

Next, I call my son to get the meat so I could join the vegetable queue at Farmers Market. I joined at 08.23. At about 09.30, all the shops started opening and the queues began snaking even longer.

I then called my children to hurry them along as they were dragging their feet and did not get the gravity of the situation. In order to get everything we needed, they would have to join two of the many queues forming around the shops in Sparks Road.

My daughter, Nia, joined the Sparksport queue to ensure we had medication and sanitary pads while my son, Tristan, joined the Star Meats queue to get mince.

During that five hour wait:
I met someone I hadn’t seen since 2016, Charlene, she’s a laugh-a-minute.

I met a man I otherwise would never speak to. He spoke fondly about his children saying he was in the queue not only for cigarettes but because he wanted to get his children their favourite treats. His name was Shaun.

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I saw selfish people trying to cut the queues and fights flare up in seconds.

I saw Donovan Cherry take charge of the queue to allow old people to get in ahead. Some had been standing for hours like the rest of us. Donovan stepped in, took charge and told us all that, ‘Old people are given priority’. Nobody complained and the queue moved happily along.

A lady with a heart pace maker was allowed in ahead of the queue, nobody complained.

Once in the store, everyone was willing to help people find what was left inside. My anger flared up when I saw a man who had jumped the queue, well inside.

I left Farmers Market at 13.33 and as I walked to the car, past the snaking queues, I heard, saw and greeted people from school, Craig Van Wyk, Mr Williams, Jubs, Yolanda. ‘Hey Corrinne, howzit, you done?’

Finally home and while dividing the mince and packing away the food, which took half a day to acquire, my 20-year-old daughter who owns a pet rabbit says, ‘Ma, now let’s go to Northlands Pets to buy Clover (her rabbit) some hay. He must have it for his digestive system.’ I nearly hit the roof!!!

Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).