It looks like healthcare providers and other medical personnel will have to start undertaking regular “walk-about” tours and talk to people on the ground in the townships about their fears and the dire need for protection from the pandemic.
Unless this happens, and soon, our health officials will continue to be seen to remain distanced from the real social and medical ills that affect people on the ground.
As the fears of the pandemic threaten households and communities, the medical fraternity and healthcare givers are doing nothing to educate communities on how to protect themselves from the onslaught of this pandemic.
Add this to the confusion and pandemonium that seems to be the order of the day at “testing” centres and clinics, the confusion suddenly becomes a death trap for the unsophisticated in our society.
The government should be doing a lot more to educate people about the dangers and consequences of ignoring crucial aspects of protecting ourselves.
Protecting oneself is not only about wearing a mask, washing hands and keeping a social distance.
We can do all these things a million times a day, but if we are not able to support this by providing our body with the nourishing food and nutrition it needs to build a strong immune system that will protect our bodies, the whole mask and sanitising exercise is rendered futile and hopeless as protection against Covid-19.
For anyone to achieve this unachievable feat, which is removed from the grasp and realities of many families in the poorest areas of our communities, remains an insurmountable task.
And with the job market almost non-existence and households earning down to almost nil, any other method to protect the poor and disadvantaged from the pandemic, either than wearing masks, washing hands and keeping a social distance – no matter how often we follow the process – are not likely not going to work.
Under the present situation, families feel they are bombarded daily with messages that fail to bring hope and tips on to survive. There are no messages of hope from the health authorities on how families must, could or should protect their loved ones with nutritional food and vegetable supplements to boost their immune system.
Instead, families have their emotions flooded with the fear of death.
Surely, we all know we are going to die someday, but to be constantly bombarded with the grim reminder of how imminent that ultimate end is in the middle of a pandemic is actually worse than death itself. The whole thing is worse than being a prisoner waiting on death row while your jailer weaves the rope to dangle your body – how grim!
Maybe as communities, we should look at re-enforcing our immune system against this pandemic beyond just washing and sanitising our hands, keeping the social distance and wearing our masks only.
Without a doubt, a bit of nutritional education will definitely go a long way in reducing infections and reducing hospital admissions and even death.
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In Katlehong, a year ago or so, a married man and his family had their lives abruptly brought to an end when their home was destroyed by fire.
The story of the Mazibuko family in Katlehong is a sad reality of what happens when members of a community identify one of their own as a villain and viciously pounce on him and his family without any facts.
This is also a serious indictment on our law enforcement on the issue of mob violence.
What is worse about the Mazibuko saga is that it has not only deprived the entire family of its lodgings and valuable possession, what happened literally broke the family apart.
And to crown the issue and make matters worse, Mazibuko has not received any solace nor justice.
And with their once happy life now in total disarray, the Mazibuko family have been thrown a curveball by both the community and the police who were supposed to protect them.
