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A LUTA CONTINUA!

23/04/2020 23:58:00 By Khulile Thwala

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IT comes as no surprise for government to revert to the initial partial lockdown, as the relaxed version had become an openly regretful joke.

From the initial announcement of the relaxed partial lockdown, I knew that it was going to be received by the public as freedom from the chains that had been binding them. This change in perspective highlighted the main issue with the way in which some decisions are being taken in the country, as there seems to be an inability to be firm, hard and direct. The COVID-19 pandemic requires the mastering of the ability to stick to your guns and shy away from any form of indecisiveness.

Decision

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at Hospital Hill during the time in which the decision to relax an already partial lockdown was taken. What really prompted this? Is it the plight of the less privileged? Or threats to down tools by the public transport operators, or maybe, just maybe, the slow increase in the number of COVID-19 positive individuals? These all seem like valid reasons to relax a lockdown. However, did anyone consider how news of a relaxed partial lockdown would come across to the typical liSwati. After being forced to stay indoors and only leave when necessary and or when one provides an essential service, the implementation of a relaxed lockdown definitely seemed like the opening of floodgates. Some people didn’t even bother reading or listening to the rest of the announcement, all they saw or heard was clothing stores would now be open and public transport would operate as per usual, and that alone was enough for all hell to break loose.

Loitering

Children were seen running willy-nilly on streets and teenagers jamming to the latest music on their phones while loitering and people going to town, not for essential or even non-essential work, but simply because they could. It was a damn near travesty of what the relaxed partial lockdown aimed to achieve, it was just another step down the deep, dark rabbit hole.

Nonetheless, our leaders were probably inundated with calls and messages from the public, pleading with them to at least bring back the partial lockdown. From residents snitching on the local running club to the police, to the elderly crying foul about the implementation of a relaxed lockdown that could possibly be detrimental to their well-being, seeing as they are more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus. My dear grandmother in Nhlangano was absolutely livid and told me of how in Nhlangano town it was business as usual, further requesting for a mask to at least hinder any coronavirus threat.

The partial lockdown is not a comfortable predicament for anyone and it’s not meant to be. It is, however, far better than a total lockdown, and it will do far less harm. A relaxed partial lockdown, on the other hand, is similar to putting an adhesive plaster on a gunshot wound, a disaster waiting to happen. The fight for a COVID-19 free world still continues and we need to soldier on and realise it’s always darkest before dawn. EmaSwati are pretty resilient and can come back from anything, therefore, now is the time to go back to the drawing board and come up with a solid as nails plan.

We need active food programmes, a proactive relief fund, innovation from SMEs and to finally put to practice the agriculture lessons we were taught in high school to aid with the food crisis. Unfortunately, this pandemic wasn’t on anyone’s 2020 agenda and it took us all by surprise, hence there will be trial and error but through it all let us maintain a united front and work together, we owe ourselves that much. “A Luta continua; a Vitoria e certa,” this impeccable Portuguese adage, which simply means ‘the struggle continues; victory is certain’, should be embedded in our hearts from now on. This fight is not ours but God’s. A luta continua!