the south african government has successfully managed to gaslight the population into believe they’re our parents and we are just unruly toddlers meanwhile they’ve siphoned off our resources and navel gazed when the opportunity was there to prepare the public health sector

of course reforming behaviour was a key component of the strategy but i refuse to believe that vietnam, taiwan, rwanda and new zealand for example have been more successful in managing the pandemic because their citizens are more compliant

as other countries have shown if you want to make people stay at home you have to pay them to do so. instead we implemented a harsh and necessary early lockdown with a shambolic social support system that sent potentially millions (mostly women) into poverty with no assistance

the lockdown was necessary because it was meant to reduce the burden on the health sector to allow for time to provide the resources necessary to prepare for the further waves. but doctors are reporting that they still don’t have adequate PPE and capacity hasn’t really increased

a population which still lives with the cramped, inhabitable conditions of spatial apartheid, are being told that they have no access to public spaces that may allow for social distancing and will be the first to be shed in the immediate economic downturn are being blamed

and the government which has been insular and cagey about its reasoning throughout will once again send power-hungry forces to go enforce these restrictions with the singularly south african wanton disregard for human rights our police and armed forces have inherited

yes, of course: wear your mask, sanitise and socially distance. but my god i hope we hold the people behind these galling failures which have cost so many lives, both covid and otherwise, accountable