#Perspective: Each new revelation stuns me
Beauticians are giving clandestine waxes, hairdressers are sneaking into their clients' homes to give illegal haircuts, cops are arresting anyone who sets foot on the beach, surfers are all turning pro, smokers are meeting their dealers on street corners and up until Monday the Google searches for mampoer recipes had skyrocketed.
When I heard the clanging of Richard Ngwane’s bell in my street on Sunday morning it was like confirmation that the world had gone crazy.
An ice-cream salesman is so out of place in the suburbs that it took me a few minutes to register who it was. When I finally did, I had to call down the street for Richard to come back.
Kitted with his mask and a bottle of sanitiser, the grandfatherly figure told us we were his first sales for the day.
Richard has been selling ice creams on our Ballito beaches for the last 35 years and is a regular face at Umhlali Prep’s sports days. In order to earn a living he has now taken to threading his way through the suburbs hawking his wares.
I was horrified and a little stunned that I had never considered the fate of ice cream pedlars with the extended beach closures. Of course everyone has been affected by the national lockdown but each new revelation of the extent of the nightmare stuns me a little.
As of Monday it was legal to buy booze again (whoop whoop), but they cannot advertise specials. For someone like me, whose bread and butter relies on advertising, that was a low blow. Seriously?
Are we so afraid of people swamping the bottle stores that we have to prevent them from advertising?
I abhor micro–managing, always have. Sometimes, yes I know it’s necessary. But this nanny state is starting to get to me.
Lockdown is reducing normal citizens to a life of crime.
Beauticians are giving clandestine waxes, hairdressers are sneaking into their clients’ homes to give illegal haircuts, cops are arresting anyone who sets foot on the beach, surfers are all turning pro, smokers are meeting their dealers on street corners and up until Monday the Google searches for mampoer recipes had skyrocketed.
But blow me down, it’s okay for churches to gather in groups of 50?
Communion at my house this Friday!
At least the cleaners and gardeners who had been sneaking around town can now breathe easy, as they are once again legal.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that the scientists government are relying upon for our response to the coronavirus crisis recommended that we could move to Level 1 of lockdown, as it had become a “blunt tool” in curbing the spread of the pandemic in the country.
No kidding.
But weighing this up against advice from the World Health Organisation, which called for the gradual lifting of lockdowns across the world, the president said they had decided to take “the middle road”.
I do not know if maths is big in Cabinet but the ‘middle’ of 4 is 2. Gingerly taking one step down to level three is the complete opposite of heeding their advice whatsoever. In fact it’s laughable.
* * *
It would be remiss of me not to touch on the death of George Floyd in the US last week.
His death sparked protests across the US for six consecutive nights and has ignited similar protests in London, Berlin and Auckland, among other cities.
Floyd died last Monday after being arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit banknote.
A video taken by a bystander shows an officer kneeling on his neck as he is pinned to the ground. Floyd is heard saying he cannot breathe.
‘I can’t breathe’ has become a chilling anthem for global inequality and oppression at the hands of police officers who are mandated to protect their fellow citizens.
In South Africa, parallels have already been drawn between Collins Khosa, who was allegedly beaten to death by soldiers in Alexandra during lockdown, and Steve Biko who was killed by the apartheid police.
Now George Floyd has emerged as the global symbol behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
Lockdown has put the world on edge, a tinderbox waiting for the right spark to set everything ablaze.
On the North Coast we have seen how quickly human rights violations can be swept under the rug with the recent case of our peace officers in a ‘scuffle’ with a family accused of visiting the beach during lockdown.
If cases like this are allowed to go unchecked, it might lead to more serious violations.
Cops using extreme force with citizens during lockdown has been an ongoing concern. Is this something we are willing to accept?
Do you want to receive news alerts from The North Coast Courier via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.
