Day 53 of this Carona virus Lockdown here in Pretoria, South Africa. Now I am not a terribly political person, in fact, I suck at politics but, I, like many other South Africans, am at my wit’s end. Our Government is continuing to make rules that seem to make no sense and claims that it is following the WHO guidelines, and we all know how reliable the WHO has been of late!
Irrespective of how reliable the WHO guidelines are, what is going to kill more of us, Covid 19 or hunger? This is the $million question.
In this article, I have not placed any images but I have placed relevant video clips, relevant to the subjects that I discuss here. There are many so bookmark the page and watch them as and when you have time.
Who Does It Affect
There is no doubt that this virus and the lockdown has affected EVERY person in South Africa adversely, Whether you are rich or poor, Educated or not, Black White Asian, Coloured, Capitalist or Communist. If you are currently in South Africa, you are affected.
Now I am not saying that South Africa is the only place affected by the Corona 19 Virus, but I am commenting specifically on The South African situation from My perspective.
This lockdown, and you note that I do not say Pandemic, has affected everyone:
- The Wealthy – lost millions on the stock markets as shares plummeted, Manufacturing was stopped, Sales died and customers simply dried up.
- The Middle Class – closed their businesses, took huge pay cuts to keep their jobs, lost their jobs, lost their homes, cars, medical aids and insurances and sold their possessions to buy food for their families.
- The Poor, – closed their sidewalk food outlets, lost their jobs, could not get their medicines from clinics, could not carry out social distancing and could not buy food, not because there was none available, but because they had no money.
There are untold ways in which we have been affected by this shutdown.
Government’s Answer To COVID 19
Now, when we first became aware of the COVID 19 virus, it was extremely concerning. When Government then announced that we needed a lockdown to delay the spread of the virus to buy time for the Medical sector to prepare for the huge numbers of people that would be needing treatment, we all accepted it without protest. The lockdown was, after all, only for 3 weeks!
Then the Government showed it’s true colours! A two-week extension and then level 4, with draconian regulations:-
- Military armed personnel on the streets,
- Curfew,
- No Alcohol,
- No legal cigarettes,
- no E-commerce,
- Sale restricted to certain clothes
- Only food and medicines to be sold
- Distorted COVID 19 figures
and the list goes on.
Did we get ANY explanation of why these rules were put in place or how they would aid in the fight against the COVID 19 virus? No! But rumours abounded about Ministers making money out of the sale of illegal cigarettes. True or false, they did the rounds and quite honestly, I believe in the saying, “where there is smoke, there is fire”.
Ubuntu Murdered
In true South African fashion, communities sought out the destitute and starving and started feeding schemes and collecting food, making up food parcels and handing them out to ALL those that needed help, irrespective of race, religion, social standing or location. We helped each other as best we could, and at any rate, far more effectively than the Government.
Millions of Rand were donated to the different funds to help the country through this crisis but what did the Government do? It refused to help all citizens and imposed the BBBEE requirements to qualify for assistance. This effectively meant that ONLY black businesses would be assisted, or at least businesses where blacks owned 51% shares.
This practice was taken to Court but was upheld by the Court, effectively condemning minority-owned businesses to destruction. They would get no assistance from the State.
Business was not the only target. NPOs, Churches, private citizens and organisations who were feeding the starving were also targeted. The government decided that nobody could distribute the food directly to the hungry. It had to be sent to a central collection point where the State would receive it and then distribute it.
Now, part of the Government’s multi-billion Rand Stimulus package was to be used to hand out food parcels to the hungry citizens. What happened was that much of this food found its way to the ANC councillors’ and Cadres’ homes, friends and families, and the reports are that these packages were handed exclusively to the Wards that were held by the ANC.
There are reports of people, organisations and churches having their packages confiscated and being fined for distributing the food parcels. The Police have even told a church that white squatters will not receive food parcels.
Doctors Answers
Now I am not a Doctor, and I am not able to make medical claims and or predictions but I do read and watch videos from Doctors who can tell us what is happening and what the effects are of COVID-19 and some of the actions taken by Governments are.
There are many claims by Doctors regarding the effects of COVID 19 but here are 6 that have caught my attention:
- The COVID-19 Virus spreads rapidly
- Its effects are on a par with the annual flu virus
- The elderly and people with diabetes, asthma, hypertension, heart disease etc. are considered high-risk patients
- Most people who contract the disease will not even know they have it.
- children are far less likely to contract the disease (note, some do contract the disease)
- After the initial lockdown to delay the virus, the lockdown no longer serves any purpose, especially in South Africa where social distancing in the locations, squatter camps and such places, is impossible.
Business Realities
Thousands, if not tens of thousands of businesses have closed their doors permanently leading to many thousands of jobs being lost
The reality is that if you are not:
- a BBBEE business
- an essential service provider, or
- financially very stable,
you are not likely to survive this Corrona-19 shutdown. You will not qualify for assistance from the Government.
Citizens Realities
We will all be hit at different levels and the worst to be hit will be the poor. I don’t mean that they will lose the most but they certainly will be affected the most. Unemployment, no savings, no food and no social distancing will lead to incredible hardship in these times as the ANC Government fails to reach all the families that need help.
Many families do not have electricity or water and this is likely to become more widespread as the lack of money to buy electricity spreads faster than the virus itself, especially with Eskom cutting power to the communities that owe them money and that overload the infrastructure with illegal connections.
What do people do when they have nothing and need to eat? We are already seeing protests, looting and robberies. If the lockdown lasts any longer, what will the starving be forced to do? Is this why the entire defence force and reserves were called up? So I now ask my question again. What is more likely to kill the most South Africans, COVID-19 or Hunger brought on by the lockdown enforced by the ANC Government.
Surely the Government cannot think the population to be so stupid as not to be able to take care of our own health if they just give us the opportunity by opening the economy by:
- lifting the lockdown
- allowing us a way to earn a living
- enabling businesses to create jobs, ALL business, whether owned by Black, White Indian or Coloured people
- ensuring proper PPE is available in all public places and places of employment.
- employing more stringent measures in “Hot Spots”
- ensuring that the aged and the high-risk people are protected and tested.
What Will Be The Outcome Of The Shut Down?
Your guess is as good as mine. There are so many conflicting opinions that it is possible to defend almost any scenario so we are really left to make use of our common sense. But, to do this we have to be properly informed. The Government’s ban on dissenting opinion really makes getting all the information really difficult. The government now only allows information on COVID – 19 to be disseminated thought it’s offices.
Anything that the Government defines to be false is now illegal and the person responsible could be charged. So be careful of what you post on social media and if you are an admin on any social media channels you are responsible for what is published on that channel.
Politics And The Shutdown
What concerns me about the manner in which this shutdown is being managed is that it appears to have a political motive. Now I say “appears” because we all see things from our own viewpoint but, as I am writing this article, I am writing it from my viewpoint.
When one considers that food parcels are only being delivered to certain communities, the opposition communities are the ones at risk of starvation. This would allow the ward councillors to claim that the government looked after its people and thus encourage the councillors’ re-election.
The Government has, for many years been trying to get blacks into a business through BBBEE. Now, with the lockdown and white-owned businesses not qualifying for assistance, whose businesses will stay open? Is this not just a means to shut white owned businesses and to develop and encourage black-owned businesses?
Political Devisiveness
I have an absolute distrust towards politicians. I have always felt that the only time we count is when elections approach. No matter which party you vote for, I feel the same about them all. Yes, some have better policies and track records than others, but in South African Politics, We are just a number, to be more specific, a 1 on the ballot total. As such, a 1 is relatively unimportant amongst millions but they collect as many 1s as they can to make up the millions.
To this end, they will say anything to get us to believe that they have our best interests at heart. They Divide us, race against race, class against class, have nots against the haves. Anything goes to get you afraid of what will happen to you if the other party gets in.
I believe that most of the mistrust in our societies is a result of political outbursts by politicians who try to drive a wedge between us, to cause their followers to have a common enemy, Whites, Blacks, Jews, White monopoly capital and the like. Anything goes to divide us and to keep us divided. Division amongst groups is also desirable as it makes the groups weaker.
Where To Now?
Where do we go now, as a Nation, with all this mistrust and hate? If this lockdown continues, we might not have much say in which way the nation is going as society is likely to degenerate into riots and unrest by the hungry and dissatisfied masses. This will probably bring the defence force into play which would make things even worse as all people might now have a common enemy, the State.
The second wild card is Eskom, If the wheels fall off, what is likely to happen when the lights go out – permanently? What will the result of a national blackout be:-
- No water,
- No fresh food,
- Shops will run empty within a day with panic buying,
- looting
- No Emergency services
- No Fuel
- Sewage running in the streets
- Disease
- No functioning medical services
- No safety
- Effectively, no Government!
What will happen when society disintegrates? Do you have a plan? We all thought preppers were on the fringe before. How many of us now wish that we had prepped before this lockdown? Start making plans now, just in case.
Minorities Future
If our society does not disintegrate, what does the future hold for minorities. Will the black population become more tribal and follow their own leaders/parties, such as the Zulus and the Old Inkatha Freedom Party? This might make politics more of a “rule by coalition” scenario, which in my view might be preferable to the current state of affairs.
A Federal State?
There is a lot to be said about a federal system of government but, where there is such an overwhelming majority of one race in every province, would it make any difference in the South African Political arena?
I am not saying it cannot work but there will be a lot of dissatisfaction. This is a topic for an article on its own and is likely to be very emotive as with most of what I have said here today.
I’m A Boer – A Minority In RSA
I am a white South African, of Akrikaans decent and a male, A Boer. So what does this mean for me?
Well, to many white South Africans it means the following;-
- I am at the bottom of the pecking order for employment
- I will get no assistance from the state to open a business, even if the Business emploied 100 Blacks
- I will starve if I rely on the state for food packages
- I will only survive if my compatriots break the law to feed me.
- I will live in an illegal squatter camp
- I will have no electricity, running water or toilets
Luckily, I am, like many other people, able to survive. Some can even assist others, and do, even if it is illegal. How do we turn our back on our people?
What Are My Options?
Well, while some semblance of law and order still remains, is it not about time we started supporting our own people? Do we not need to advertise each other’s businesses, buy from each other, support each other on social media, online stores, flea markets and any other way we can?
I recently noticed that there are one or two websites allowing communities to advertise their businesses. People can search for plumbers, electricians builders, hairdressers etc. and find a business belonging to their own community to support.
Now I have no doubt that someone would try to shut them down so I would suggest that we need to have a number of these sites so that if one or two were shut down, this service would still be available to our people.
If law and order fails and anarchy breaks out, do you have a plan? what we need to remember is what I said above about no water, fridges, sewage, security, petrol, and the like. How will we survive, long term, in cities and towns where we are vastly outnumbered. There is no way in which a household can defend itself against a mob.
Now I am in no way implying just blacks, although this is a likely scenario to start as the people without food will be out first so the unemployed people from the squatter camps locations etc will be the first to scavenge, loot and pillage. It will not only be black that will be hungry. Many middle-class people, irrespective of race, will have long ago used up all their money and food and will need to feed their children too. If you have and people suspect it, you will become a target.
What will you do for water? if you have a swimming pool, you will have water for a while but what about the sewage? When I think of all of this, I just think back to how it must have been for the Boer women, of the Anglo Boer war, that were left on the farms while the men went off to fight. What happened to them? They were a soft target and were shipped off to concentration camps by the British where they died in their thousands.
For my money, join a group, find a defensible position out of the cities with water and access to food. Prep and be ready.
Conclusion
I am not saying that Civil unrest is imminent. I am just suggesting that maybe it is wise to prepare for such eventualities. We did not expect the pandemic yet, here we are and those that had prepared for the unexpected are far better off than those who never prepared.
I am not trying to get people worked up. I am simply trying to get people to look at the current situation and prepare for whatever possibility they envisage. Our new normal will never be the same as the old normal and I feel that the Country is on a knife’s edge as it is. The longer the Lockdown continues the more we should be ready for the unexpected, unwanted and unplanned for eventualities. Let us make sure that we have planned for almost any eventuality.
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“It is better to have prepared and never to need it than to be unprepared and be in desperate need of it”.
Be Aware. Be Safe. Be Prepared!