Posts

LOCKDOWN LIFE

“Since lockdown, I found myself walking into a wall”

Arina Bohler I am not a business person. I am a pensioner. But I do have some businesses to do relating to personal finances and transactions. But since the lockdown, I found myself walking into a wall, taking a turn to try another door and walking into another wall.  Before I tell my stories I just Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Rebellious kids make the job harder

Guest contributor Ever since the start of the lockdown, the biggest challenge has been getting to work on days when we have to report for duty. Otherwise we spend our days off at home. Public transport is scarce and our employer did not make provision for staff, so we have had to find our own Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Irresponsibility puts the elderly at risk

Guest contributor I am staying in Proclamation Hill, Pretoria. In my area, people around Proclamation Hill are taking the rules seriously, they are hardly in the street. The only time you get to see people is when you go into the supermarkets. There are always children playing around the play area at my complex during a normal situation Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Challenges beyond the virus

Guest contributor I have been speaking to a lot of people, particularly those who have to go to work. Most are employed in areas deemed as epicentres of this pandemic like Sandton and Bedfordview. Most work at retail outlets or are security guards, and some work for private retirement villages. They are exposed to a Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Fear and uncertainty in mining communities

Guest contributor I have asked people in my community and some of our mining stakeholders to illustrate briefly, in five lines, how Covid-19 has impacted their professional and personal lives, or even their mental health and well-being.  I have received a few WhatsApps, voice notes, phone calls and emails – some more detailed that others. Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Covid-19 and a tale of two countries

Pearl Nicodemus It has been seven days [at the time of writing] into the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the country seems to be steadying into the stringent conditions set out by government. With almost a million recorded cases globally, many countries have gone into a tailspin, putting measures in place Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

Ordinary people are real heroes too

Guest contributor As I sit here pondering about recent events and my experiences, I can’t help but enjoy this silence. Before I learned the term ‘social distancing’, my neighbourhood was fairly busy and one could hear cars and motorbikes speeding down Beyers Naude drive until the early hours of the morning. These past few weeks Read more >

LOCKDOWN LIFE

In an ideal system we’d all be ok

Guest Contributor The neighbourhoods of Fordsburg, Mayfair and Mayfair West are characterized by a multitude of nationalities, small businesses on every high street, and various cultures and religions living side-by-side. On any normal day, you’ll hear the call to prayer from the mosques, on a Saturday night the boom of the bass from the taverns Read more >

INVESTIGATION

Still waiting for promised RDP houses, nine years later

By Thembela Ntongana First published on GroundUp Nine years ago, families moved from Ezinkomeni to nearby Unit P in Mdantsane, East London’s largest township. They did so on the understanding that RDP houses would be ready for them in six months. Today, they are still living in container homes. Members of the 27 families say Read more >