(Image of SARS-CoV-2 virions emerging from a cell by the US NIAID, CC BY 2.0)
A Covid-19 rumour has become a nightmare for an Mpumalanga mother. The fake news has forced her into hiding following threats that she will be killed if she does not prove she is free of the virus, or she must leave her village of Machiding.
“I am frightened … I have not slept for a week. My family is being threatened for harbouring a Covid-19 carrier. My children are going through hell,” said Cynthia Mtsweni.
Surrounded by four relatives, the mother of two met The Citizen at a house she wants to keep a secret for her safety, and said in the past terrible things have happened to people in the village after such threats.
Mtsweni, who has respiratory problems, suffered an attack on Sunday, 22 March, and was rushed to the local clinic, from where she was taken to Philadelphia provincial hospital in Dennilton, Limpopo.
She was admitted, and moments after her family had left the hospital, she started coughing intensely.
This frightened the nurses who scrambled for their protective gear and placed her in isolation.
“From then on, no one came into the ward. The nurses informed my siblings, who had just left, that they suspected I had Covid-19 because I work in a hotel,” said Mtsweni, a housekeeper at a North West lodge.
The mother of two said her siblings called a few close relatives about the news but all hell broke loose when one of the relatives, recorded an audio message that Mtsweni had Covid-19 and was spreading it.
“My tests came back negative but by that time there was panic back at my village and threats were being made that I am dangerous and should not come close to home,” said Mtsweni.
She said not even a public confirmation from her consulting doctor would change the community’s view about her status.
Mtsweni said her nightmare was compounded by the fact that it was a close relative who had spread the wrong information about her status and the people now believed she was hiding her true status.
“They believe my aunt because she is the closest person to me. But it is a lie, I never tested positive for Covid-19,” she added.
In a WhatsApp audio recording, Mtsweni’s aunt, Sophy Jiyane, confirmed distributing the Covid-19 rumour about Mtsweni, but said this was out of concern and she saw nothing wrong with it.
She said she was simply making people aware that Covid-19 is real.
“I do not care about the police. They can open a case, they will be arrested themselves because they are hiding a sick person,” said Jiyane in the audio recording.
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