KZN reacts: One-year anniversary of 'SA Lockdown' announcement by Ramaphosa
This week marks the first anniversary of the South African lockdown that saw the President of the country quiet literally shut down the country.
On the 23rd of March 2020, South Africans gathered around to what is now known as a 'family meeting' with the number one citizen of the country, Ramaphosa.
It was then that the President announced a 21-day lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
READ: Ramaphosa announces 21-day nationwide lockdown
At the time, Ramaphosa said that it was necessary to 'take extraordinary and swift action' in order to 'avoid a human catastrophe'. The lockdown began on the 27th of March and was set to end on the 16th of April.
The categories of people who were exempted from this lockdown were the following: health workers in the public and private sectors, emergency personnel, those in security services – such as the police, traffic officers, military medical personnel, soldiers – and other persons necessary for our response to the pandemic.
Unfortunately, not only has the pandemic had a devastating effect in terms of lives lost, a lot of people's lives have been affected in many other ways; such as finances, as many business had to close down after the initial lockdown. Thousands of South Africans were retrenched from their jobs, while SADAG recorded an all-time high of calls from South Africans who were struggling with their mental health under lockdown.
READ: #WomenUnlocked: A mental health check-in with Dr Khanyile
Despite the difficulties, as South African's always seem to do, we endured the tough times that are still in existence today. There were some gains under lockdown for some, a KZN woman and friend of Stacey and J Sbu shared that lockdown allowed her and her family to reconnect:
It is amazing what can happen when you are all stuck under one roof, apart from the frustrations of being on top of one another, lock down allowed my family and I to reconnect with no distractions. y teenage kids and I built puzzles with one another and had real conversations. My husband and I saw more of each other then we had in the last 2 years because of work commitments.
In August last year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastation that has resulted from it, we decided to have a mental health check with the KZN audience.
It all started with the following four words: 'How are you doing?'
In an effort to not only raise awareness on mental health and being vulnerable with KZN, Stacey and J Sbu wanted to encourage a safe space for the listeners to share their struggles, reminding them that they are not alone and that there is help should they need it.
Things became very emotional when Stacey shared what she had been going through personally, even though she has been turning up to work and putting on a brave face.
In case you missed it, listen below:
Stacey and J Sbu asked KZN listeners what their initial reaction was to the heavy lockdown and what their biggest fears were. Listen to the podcast below to hear their reactions:
It was one listener whose story really pulled at the heart strings, Nicola tearfully shared her highs and lows for life under lockdown with her family- listen to the podcast below:
Missed out on anything from Stacey and J Sbu?
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