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A spaza store in Zwide, Port Elizabeth has been painted with public health messages to help communities with information to fight the pandmedic coronavirus. It is part of a nationwide campaign sponsored by Engen. (Photo: Mike Holmes)
When the government, in deciding to impose a tough blockade on South Africans, perhaps inadvertently excluded planners, doers, eyes and ears from South African communities, it created a fatal flaw in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
For weeks, community leaders have watched as police and the defense force patrol the streets. Stuck at home, as most want to obey the rules, they are turning to social media with their messages, and it’s on point.
For them, the fight is about saving lives, not a show of government power. They spread the word about hand washing, masks, and physical estrangement. Even in a fearful situation where the infection is spreading like a forest fire, community leaders in municipalities outside of Humansdorp put up their “Blockade” signs. Moenie Kuier Nie. (No visitors)
It is time to give them a chance to deal with this. And by “this” we mean providing community leaders with information and resources. Like the informal command council of every small community in South Africa, they are more agile, have better intelligence, and are probably less concerned with stepping on their toes than the unwieldy structures that fight the pandemic.
They, more than anyone, know the failures of our communities. They are aware of hunger, the daily fight for water and the growing cases of domestic violence. They also know that there is a simmering confidence deficit when it comes to government.
Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize has said this since early April, when South Africans were still getting used to the closure. Defeating Covid-19 is no longer a problem for a nurse and a doctor; it’s really about society, it’s really about entering a combat zone and fighting this infection. “
Unfortunately, not much has been done yet to allow community leaders to take the lead in fighting infection. His is a voice that needs to be amplified, as preventive measures are taking a back seat as communities struggle with heartbreaking food shortages and a struggle to access water. They are the ones who can tackle fear and stigma.
This is not an open invitation to the government to abandon ship and let communities take over. It is a plea for the decision to channel resources and information to the right people.
Often, community leaders are the ones who provide community memory; those who can draw wisdom from the HIV pandemic: mistakes made and lessons learned.
As the leadership of the Amadiba Crisis Committee says: “A few months ago we learned that a new virus was coming. We knew it was already in other countries. The last time we heard about HIV it was too late. We were waiting for the government and the municipality to come with their awareness campaigns. If you look at us, you would think we are a separate island, the way the government treats us. The government never came. Then HIV spread like hell. “
As Covid-19 takes its toll on communities, it is more important than ever that we give the right people the opportunity to speak up and mobilize communities.
It is highly unlikely that they will fare worse than the government. On the one hand, they know the weaknesses and strengths of their communities.
During a seminar on mental health last week, psychology professor Garth Stevens predicted large-scale civil disobedience as our sluggish government continues to impose rules that conflict with people’s survival instincts. Only fools will believe that we have not reached this stage.
People need security, he said. And in a time of furious uncertainty, he added, there will be a voracious need for information. Sometimes unclear government communicators are not providing much. In fact, the long, long silences in the President’s office are providing ample fodder for fake news and conspiracy theories. Community leaders are not trained to spin, nor do they get anything out of it. In any case, now we need people who can say it as it is.
Government food and water distribution plans are not really taking off and have lost a lot of credibility as allegations of corruption increase.
About a week ago, after the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, apologized for the fact that not all tanks sent to communities to provide water for hand hygiene had been established, because bricks and cements were not available during closing. His comments were met with mockery by the communities.
In Port Elizabeth, community groups were scathing. “We can solve this in 10 minutes,” they said. “We received three popsicles from the spaza store. Maybe four. What you should do first is measure the children and see which one is the shortest. You use it because it will have to (be able to) reach the tap. Go get the pallets from the spaza store. Maybe a few bridles and we’ll have water tonight.
When people began to run out of food, it was once again the communities that activated their churches, informal food schemes, exchanges, and loans. Bringing, collecting and distributing. Make lists and make sure people can ask for help safely. All without the government interfering. Small community organizations were delivering hundreds of food packages a week.
As the masks became mandatory, he dresses women everywhere, reusing old clothes, showing young people how to do something.
Infectious disease experts like Professor Shabir Mahdi have expressed an opinion, widely shared by many other doctors, that only communities can now save themselves. On Monday (May 11), President Cyril Ramaphosa said the same thing, but possibly in a more obfuscated and political way.
What Ramaphosa did not say, but should really say, is that the time has come for the government to train and equip our community leaders to deal with this, and then leave them to work.
The government has had a fairly strong opportunity that was successful in some respects. Now is the time to change tactics.
Ordinary wisdom, no more regulations, will win the day. DM / MC
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