Working on the streets of Cape Town with a smile

General

How is the situation in your city/ country? Is there a 2nd wave yet?
South Africa is on Level 2 of the 2nd wave lockdown with talks of going into another lockdown if the Covid case numbers do not decrease.

How did the atmosphere in your country change within the last months?
The people of South Africa are tired and frustrated. They just want things to go back to normal. The death cases are terrifying, but not as much as other major issues like HIV, poverty, drought, lack of food…

How are you and your family?
We are doing ok for now. My kids are back home in the Eastern Cape with my parents and I am living in Cape Town trying to create work and earn money for me and my family.

What was the biggest challenge for you within the last months?
Finding work. I got laid off from my job in March 2020 at the first lockdown and since then I have struggeled to find proper work again.

I got laid off from my job March 2020 at the first lockdown and since then I have struggeled to find proper work again.

Measures

When did you realize how serious the situation is?
When I saw a lot of my friends losing their jobs and more people on the streets. It’s also a struggle not to see my kids often these days due to past travel restrictions.

How did your government react to the crisis? Which measures/restrictions were taken first?
They shut the country down and try to allocat money for unemployment. Not everybody received it and it wasn´t a lot of money. R350 per month is equal to $25. This is nothing in monthly costs for survival. It is not fair. The government said they are in the same boat as us. This is the biggest lie yet.

Are you satisfied with the measures of your government? What was good/bad?
No, they are bad. My kids had to leave school because of the shutdown and no plan was made to learn from home. Not everyone has internet in my country especially the poor people with kids.

What would you like to say to your government?
They need to spend a day or two with the people that are suffering in the poor communicitues to really see what is going on. Sitting in their comfortable homes and offices they will never understand the situation first hand.

Which sentence of a virologist/politician did you memorize the most?
Not sure about this question.

My kids had to leave school because of the shutdown and no plan was made to learn from home.

The Virus

Do you know anybody who was infected with COVID-19 or even died?
No, only people got sick with flu, but all recovered like normal flu. I only heard of people from the news saying they are dying.

Have you already done a Coronavirus test or have you been in quarantine?
No, none of that.

Are you afraid of getting infected with the Coronavirus?
A little afraid yes because the news and the people make me scared.

I only heard of people from the news saying they are dying.

The lockdown

How long is/was your lockdown and what was allowed/what wasn´t?
We are still in lockdown since end of March 2020. We had a few things banned in different stages – tabacco, alcohol, curfew times, churches, family gatherings, etc…

Did you spend the lockdown time with somebody and what did you do during this time?
Only me and my girlfriend.

What did you miss the most during the lockdown? What helped you?
I missed my kids, it made me work hard to send them money and buy me a ticket to go see them.

We are still in lockdown since end of March 2020. We had a few things banned in different stages – tabacco, alcohol, curfew times, churches, family gatherings, etc…

Changes

How did your work situation change within the last months (shorter hours, working from home, etc.)
I am still working on the street with a few odd jobs. So not much changes.

How did your social life (relationship/friendships/dating) change due to the Corona crisis?
I decreased seeing a lot of people from before. My focus is only people I know and trust and people I know that follow healthy and safe protocols. Not so much social gatherings also.

What impact has the Corona crisis on your financial situation?
Big time loss for me and my family. I don’t have a fixed income anymore. I am trying to save for a house.

Social distancing: How does your daily life look like at the moment?
I am hardly in front of people – only when I get in a bus or taxi I have to share the space with many people. Sometimes taxi is full with 12 people.

I don’t have a fixed income anymore. I am still working on the street with a few odd jobs.

Perception

Who are to your opinion the heroes of this crisis?
The people in the front line – doctors, nurses, retail people. All these people putting risk to them and their family.

What did the crisis show you?
Showed me how much my governement cares for me. A very little to be honest. A lot of other people might agree with me.

What will you appreciate more after the crisis?
My family time.

Which images will you never forget?
I saw in the news in other countries, people dying. This was too scary for me.

Which stories/incidents/experiences touched/shattered you the most?
How some people helped me tell me story. One guy Brendan stopped his car to ask me on my situation and he setup crowd fund for me and an instagram page so people can read my story and help with donation.

It touched me how some people helped me tell my story.

Perspective

What are you afraid of right now?
I don´t want to get sick or get Covid and then fear to die and maybe never see my kids again. This is scary for me.

What gives you hope?
The people of Cape Town and South Africa, everyone that has helped me so far, my family and my loved ones.

Are you planning to travel within the next months?
Only to my home city in the Eastern Cape, to visit my kids and my parents again.

Would you get yourself vaccinated against COVID-19?
Yes I would.

What can we all learn from this crisis?
We can learn to be patient. God will make a plan for everyone.

If you could give 2020 a headline, what would it be?
There’s a rainbow after the storm.

We can learn from the crisis to be patient. God will make a plan for everyone.