By Huw Davies.
South Africa. (News of The South) – “Some say we will die of hunger”
Societal issues, from stark economic inequality to health crises such as the AIDS virus, have meant that the Coronavirus lockdown in South Africa is particularly devastating, threatening the livelihood of many.
“We believe the regulations are here to help us to control the virus but some are hard to live with…some say we will die of hunger” Melissa says. Like many South Africans, she is under lockdown after Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, announced a national lockdown on the 27th March in efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus. Like many countries, this has had a ground-breaking impact on life in South Africa, confining many indoors. However, economic inequality, unreliable transport and communication infrastructure alongside poor access to healthcare have increased the pressures of lockdown, leaving many struggling and afraid. Melissa vents a common fear that the lockdown has been initiated without effective measures threatening disaster when combined with the various issues that South Africa faces.
The lockdown has had a significant impact on food supplies in South Africa. The country began to stockpile essential items when the lockdown was announced. However, Melissa vents frustration that the lockdown was initiated in the middle of the month, before payday, meaning many were not able to stockpile enough due to lack of money. This has made lockdown challenging for South Africans fortunate enough to be in employment with economic inequality and deprivation leaving many more struggling during the lockdown. Siphiwo Mphesa from a township in the Eastern Cape notes that the lockdown has made poverty reach unparalleled levels in his community.
With unemployment rates at 35% and almost 52% of the population living in poverty, endemic poverty has made coping with the pressures and strains of the lockdown hugely challenging for many.
Obtaining food supplies is further pressured by South Africa’s rural areas and the country’s infrastructure. Already far from stores where they can buy essential supplies, many communities have found themselves completely isolated as the taxi services they rely upon for travel are either discontinued or restricted to carrying small numbers of passengers. With limited communication infrastructure, many in these remote areas rely on social media apps such as WhatsApp for communication. However, with mobile phone data either being too expensive to buy in bulk or not being a sufficient reason to risk going into the larger cities, many in the most deprived communities are left isolated with hugely restricted means of communication, separating families and loved ones. Speaking with Siphiwo, he says “I have family in other provinces like KZN, Cape town and Gauteng and it’s very difficult to check on them. The little data I manage to get is finished quickly. I am also currently studying…[but] it is difficult to access.”
The pressures of lockdown have combined with these societal issues to create social tension in many areas of South Africa. Though some communities have seen publicized truces between criminal gangs, this is not replicated throughout the country. In Melissa’s township of Kathlehong outside Johannesberg, gangs have been known to carry out targeted robberies on essential workers whom they know have money as their former criminal activities are frustrated under the lockdown.
The police and South African Defence Force (SADP) have been assembled to police areas and ensure compliance with the lockdown. However, this has further stirred resentment amongst many who feel they are using disproportionate indiscriminate force. Discussing this with Melissa, she notes that “police officer use sjamboks to beat us when meeting us on the streets, sometimes without even asking about the permits.” The deployment of force has increased tensions resulting in vandalization as those under lockdown protest. This has included schools and public buildings threatening already underfunded public services in deprived areas. Others, seeking to escape the monotony of lockdown, have been brewing homemade alcohol, alarming medical professionals. Social distancing has been adopted but has had significant impact on social life, preventing many from attending important social events of marriages and funerals.
Across the world, lockdown has distinctly illustrated any deficiencies in public health provision. Yet, like many Sub-Saharan African countries, South Africa has been contending with the concurrent AIDS crisis. With South Africa having the highest HIV rates in the world, with an estimated 7.7 million infected with the virus in 2018, the coronavirus is a significant threat to a huge proportion of the country’s population. Many of those with the HIV virus are reliant upon local clinics to provide them with the medicine they require to prevent the HIV virus progressing into AIDS. Though pharmacies have remained open, the challenges of lockdown mean that obtaining this lifesaving medication has become hugely complicated. To the many struggling with HIV in South Africa, already in a weakened state and vulnerable to disease, the coronavirus poses a huge threat and leaving their homes a life staking gamble. The coronavirus has stretched to breaking point, countries that have not experienced health crises even approximating South Africa’s experiences with HIV. But with only 1000 ICU beds for the entirety of the country, South Africa’s stretched health sector is faced with monumental challenges in the wake of the coronavirus.
Ramaphosa has responded to these challenges. A relief package worth $26 billion is being offered to companies and workers during the pandemic, with $1 billion set aside for hunger relief. Yet Melissa and Siphiwo share many South African’s concerns that South Africa’s endemic corruption and structural issues may mean this aid does not reach those who need it most. South Africa is still in the early stages of the pandemic and already three weeks into lockdown but Coronavirus threatens a perfect storm, creating conditions which threaten disaster.
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