The coronavirus (COVID-19) is the latest crisis that is going to affect the future of our youth. This pandemic has completely changed not only the family and social activities of our youth but also their daily routines and ability to earn an income.
President Cyril Ramaphosa first addressed the nation on the Covid-19 Pandemic in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and declared a State of Disaster in terms of the National Disaster Management Act. In his second address to the nation on 23 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that there would be a national lockdown, initially for a period of 21 days, with severe restrictions on travel and movement to combat the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in South Africa. In essence, this meant people would only be permitted to leave their homes to buy food, seek medical help or under other extreme circumstances. The lockdown also meant that people who couldn’t work from home would not work, and thus essentially curtailed most economic activities for the economically active population.
As a young person, born and bred in the rural areas, this pandemic caused a lot of hardship amongst the people living in my area. We went from enjoying a beer with our neighbours in the spirit of Ubuntu to shutting the gate on them. Life has never been the same since the President made his announcement. What used to be a pleasant ride from the taxi rank to town became a difficult walk from home to town as the taxi’s had an imposed operational curfew.
With the high youth unemployment rate, many of the youth in my community were self-employed working as bricklayers, DJ’s and small business owners. However, with the national lockdown they all had to cease trading, close their businesses and stay home. This meant that their ability to earn a living had ceased and with no UIF, savings or income, life became very difficult. The youth appealed to the local ward councillor to help them by at least providing food parcels, as they had families to feed and “igrant ka makhulu” was not enough to feed the whole family.
The announcement of the R350 grant came as a relief to many but only at face value as in reality, it caused more stress for the youth in my community. Some of them never received the grant and others had to use the grant money to pay back the transport money they had borrowed from relatives when they needed to go to the Post Office to fetch the grant. Many were forced to sleep in long queues at the Post Office only to be told that their applications had not been completed satisfactorily.
Young people are some of the most vulnerable to be affected by this pandemic’s socio-economic impacts. The Covid-19 pandemic and the related lockdown measures have resulted in not only great hardship amongst the youth but the lives of many young people have had to be put on hold, the full impact of which will only be fully understood in the future.
In the face of hardships, the majority of youth are known hassle. It is my hope that the youth from my community will not despair, and will be full participants in the much-spoken-about economic recovery. I’d appeal to the people in various industries, especially the cultural and creative sector, to provide youth with opportunities to make input and ply their trade. Many bring new energy and innovations to the industry.
Sporting events are more than moments of competition, national pride, and entertainment. They are economic activities that can stimulate tourism, create employment, support local businesses, and generate revenue across multiple sectors of the economy.
Umntwana womgquba a term traditionally used in the Nguni language that means “born out of wedlock,” but nowadays it is used to emphasise that one is born kwisintu. As lontwana, I look back on my own adventures: sometimes I pat myself on the back, and sometimes I wish I could redo them.
Each September, South Africa turns its attention to the rich cultural tapestry that defines our nation. Heritage Month is a time to honour the traditions, languages, histories, knowledge systems, customs and creative expressions that have been passed from generation to generation, while recognising that our heritage is not confined to the past.
My first encounter with heritage at the Mandela Bay Development Agency was, appropriately, somewhat uncomfortable. It began with cleaning. The Gale Monument, the Horse Memorial and the Queen Victoria statue became my first practical introduction to the business of preserving history.
