'Many will go hungry'

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Millions of South Africans are likely to go hungry during the 21-day lockdown which started on Thursday night, 26 March.

Casual workers will be affected the most.

Many domestic workers, gardeners, construction workers and others in the informal sector receive their pay each day on which they work.

In some cases they work for perhaps four different employers each for one day a week.

They live from hand to mouth and if they cannot work, they do not receive money to buy food.

The Mossel Bay Advertiser asked people how they thought the lockdown would affect the poor.

Olga Sisusa said: "Many people will go hungry because they won't get an income, such as taxi drivers and those who sell fruit, vegetables and snacks on the streets.

People that are abused
"The lockdown will also affect people who are abused because going to school and being out of the house was probably their only escape, to avoid the abuse or problems at home.

"Some houses in the townships are overcrowded, which will make it difficult for people to stay in one place for a long time. They will have to have enough food for everyone for the whole day, which costs a lot. Illegal connections from shacks will cost many houses a lot of money for electricity because people will be at home, using electronics all day long."

Sisusa thought there could be a rise in crime, because thieves could break in and steal food, because they knew people had been panic buying and had stocked up.

She said: "The lockdown will prevent learners from accessing libraries. This will make it difficult for children who don't have phones or computers and mostly depend on the libraries for entertainment."

It is almost impossible to keep young, energetic children locked in a shack, especially when there is no toilet or running water.

Sell items
KwaNonqaba resident Miranda Mrwebo said: "There are Zimbabweans in our community who sell items on the streets; they walk around selling them. Now they will not be able to do this. Also, people owe them money and they are worried that with the lockdown they won't get the money from them to send back home to Zimbabwe.

"I was in the hair salon in Asla on Tuesday [24 March] and there were some Zimbabweans there voicing their concerns."

Mrwebo said she saw a group of children sitting on their own on a hill in KwaNonqaba. She fears that having nothing to do because of the extended school holiday will cause children to commit crime. "Crime is likely to increase," Mrwebo said. "Also, children will have become lazy when they eventually go back to school."

She had to go to court regarding a small civil matter and the court did not allow people inside because of Covid-19 precautions, but there were many people outside the court, standing too close together, who could have infected one another anyway.

Suburbs
Mrwebo voiced her concern about domestic workers. "They get R150, R200 or R250 every day and use it to feed their families. Now who is going to give them that money?

"Also, the lockdown affects me personally. I was going to the Eastern Cape to be with my family during the school holidays and to help my mom fix her house, which is leaking. Now I can't go. Also, my child had already gone to the Eastern Cape ahead of me, so I will be stuck in the house on my own. I don't know when I will be paid. The food I had, I sent with my child to the Eastern Cape because I was going to join him there, so I have no food here."

Noting her concern for taxi drivers, Mrwebo said: "They have to pay instalments on their vehicles. Where are they going to get money to pay these. They are no longer allowed to drive between the Eastern Cape and Western Cape now, so they lose out on this income. They have stokvel money to pay and cannot pay it now. The money they earns, they have to spend every day. They do not earn enough to save."

Pay rent
Asla Park resident Restina Parangi, a domestic worker employed at three different homes, told the Mossel Bay Advertiser regarding the lockdown: "It's painful, because if you can't work you can't earn money. We have to pay rent."

Musa Bistoli, a teacher, said: "People will go hungry during the lockdown. A rise in crime is inevitable. We have people who have car washing, home cleaning and garden businesses. Such businesses are at risk. There's more demand for food for each household now that children are not at school during the day and parents who used to go look for jobs to do, are forced to stay home."

Many children rely on receiving food at school.

Schools were forced to close earlier for the holiday and children go back to school much later now because of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Bistoli said: "Most people will be left with no choice but turning to crime. It was proved long ago that poverty causes crime.

"This is combined with peer pressure for teenagers.Possibly because most people are ignorant about what the government is ordering people to do, crime is more likely to increase.

"We have households who won't be able to pay their furniture instalments and loans. The self-employed and business owners won't be able to make payments. We have people who live on tenders, who possibly won't make money during this lockdown period."

Pressure
"All, this is putting much pressure on people, not forgetting those who are permanently employed yet supplementing their salaries through businesses. They too will be affected by the abrupt change in household income. This will create lots of financial frustration and social stress.

"Some will have to take out personal loans and that will have a long-term effect on them."

Southern Cape regional police spokesman Captain Malcolm Pojie was asked what plans police had in place to deal with a possible rise in crime during the lockdown, but he said all queries to police regarding the Covid-19 lockdown were being dealt with by police on a national and ministerial level - national police communications and the police minister's spokesperson.

It has been published nationally that those contravening lockdown regulations will incur a fine or a jail sentence.

At the time of the lockdown announcement it was noted by government that the army would play a pivotal role in enforcing the law.

The buying and selling of alcohol is prohibited during the lockdown. It is envisaged domestic violence could worsen because people will be drinking at home rather than at taverns.

Restina Parangi