Lockdown Diaries: We’re beginning to feel the pinch

For the first time, I understand the fear of people who are battling financially: that dreaded knock on the door asking for rent you just don’t have; the constant worry about where the next meal will come from; hunting down the loose change scattered through the house…

It was just another normal work-from-home day for me when the e-mail from work landed in my inbox.

My employer is explaining how badly this Covid-19 lockdown is affecting us. There is talk of taking more forced leave – where on earth can I go? – and then came the Big Dread: our salaries will be cut for at least three months; substantially.

Halfway through reading the bad news, I receive a call from one of my tenants: “Hello bhuti unjani”, meaning “hello brother, how are you?”.

“You are speaking to Zazi.

“I would like us to discuss the issue of rent. How are we going to work it or come up with alternatives?

“As you know, I went home the day before the lockdown began and with this extension I don’t know how I will pay rent. And we’re not even sure if this is the last extension…”

It was easy to sympathise from afar when this whole lockdown started, but now we all are starting to feel the pinch.

Our WhatsApp statuses bragging about being couch potatoes and watching Netflix every day are no longer funny as anxiety about job securities gets worse.

I sympathise with people who only survive on rental income. Their tenants had to be laid off at work with no money coming in.

I stumble upon a Facebook post: “Guys, please pay school fees and transport drivers, yekelani ukusas (stop being silly).”

I wonder if the author of that post still thinks people are being silly by not wanting to pay school fees and transport drivers, but that’s a diary for another day.

In times like these, greed needs to be put aside and we need to hold hands together to emerge victorious.

I haven’t been outside in more than two weeks and just hope we won’t get another extension because as things are, we are already suffering the consequences of this lockdown.

And poor Zazi? All I could tell her was: let’s wait until things are back to normal and take it from there.

I remain hopeful…

Tebogo Nkadimeng.

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