#coronavirus has proven that life is not a playfield but a battle ground

Never in my entire life have I ever woken up so extremely dejected. My body spontaneously vibrated over the thought of a looming unfortunate possibility.

We may have joked on social media in the past about SA, deserving to be “closed” as we unleashed our comical prowess.

Mother Nature, when we said “Mayivalwe le country” as we laughed at memes and jokes created by our compatriots, we never meant it this way.

Unfortunately for us, that wish has finally been granted, though in contrast to our greatest projections.

When coronavirus was still a TV disease, it neither beat nor bothered us that much. It never dawned on us that one day we would walk on this thorn infested road with low levels of optimism. Never did we think the pandemic would one day land on our shores and render us strangers in the towns and cities we built with our own sweat and blood.

It never crossed our minds that one day, the houses we have built would transform into our own exiles, as we attempt to run away from this pandemic. Nobody saw it coming that just like during apartheid, our movements would one day be circumstantially restricted.

Coronavirus has proven that life is not a playground, but a battlefield. May the spirit of togetherness, discipline and compassion offer guidance as we battle to re-stabilise our country.

May it sink in our heads that these lockdown days are not a holiday, but a battle against what is trying to push our lives over the edge.


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