Standing together (but not too closely): Saffers unite to fight the virus

The nationwide lockdown enters its fifth day on Tuesday and South Africans are rallying together and getting creative, from fostering rescue animals to brightening up their communities through art.

One such organisation that called on citizens to show their humanity and solidarity during this trying time was Cape Town animal adoption agency Tears Animal Rescue. After President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the lockdown on March 23, the agency implored Capetonians to provide foster homes to more than 100 dogs and puppies.

General manager Lauren Carlyle said after making the call on social media, all 117 dogs and puppies had, by Thursday, been fostered — in time for lockdown.

 “We prioritise the safety and wellbeing of the animals in our care, and being in a home with people who can provide a loving and safe environment is the ideal solution until we know Tears can again operate as normal. Within 24 hours of putting out the call we received more than 1,000 calls. Two days later we had received more than 2,000 calls,” she said.

Carlyle described the response as “heartwarming”.

“It shows how much love there is for our animals. We’ve been getting lots of pictures and videos of the animals being showered with love, going for walks in people’s gardens and sitting on comfortable sofas. Some of our foster parents are already asking us if they can adopt the animals. It’s been such a heartwarming experience.”

A Cape Town doctor, Catherine Curran Jackson, took to Facebook about the generosity shown by South African businesses that donated about 26 mattresses, 20 pillows and 10 mattress protectors to Groote Schuur Hospital health workers who may need to do extra night shifts or stay in hospital unexpectedly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The mattresses were donated by Dial a Bed and a Cape Town car dealership. They were offered to the hospital’s department of anaesthesia and internal medicine, where Curran Jackson works as an anaesthetist.

“It says we care about you while we care for you. It says we are taking this lockdown seriously. Thank you, Cape Town. Your generosity is appreciated,” she said.

Meanwhile, before the lockdown started, children in Pinelands, Cape Town, turned their neighbourhood colourful by drawing rainbow pictures and hanging them up in the windows of their homes. The intention: to play an eye-spy game when walking the streets with their parents.

Gill Moodie said adults in the suburb embraced the idea and started hanging up colourful paintings in their homes. “It’s really delightful to see,” she said.

A community initiative, Community Action Networks (CANS), is also doing its bit to make the Covid-19 lockdown more bearable for South Africans by bringing together medical professionals with teachers, artists, soccer coaches and community carers, who have worked in outbreak situations before. This to share their skills on how to help curb the spread of the virus.

Dr Leanne Brady said the group shared ideas and initiatives to inspire others to take action, while also recruiting volunteers “who can act as street captains during the lockdown to help co-ordinate support to neighbours”.

The community of Walmer Estate, Cape Town,  has started identifying  those who need help and those who have resources to share. This means at-risk elderly folk can stay home while young health people do their grocery shopping.

Cape Town’s Muizenberg community is setting up handwashing areas at the train station and looking at setting up a hand-sanitiser factory in a pottery studio.

In Khayelitsha, Cape Town, CANs is tracking which informal settlements don’t have access to running water, which is essential for handwashing during the pandemic.

“This is a national disaster and it requires an emergency response. The president has guaranteed that vulnerable residents in informal settlements will receive water. We need tankers to supply water regularly to informal settlements without taps,” said Brady.

“We need all the taps in informal settlements to be fixed and working. And we need businesses and residents from wealthier neighbourhoods to come together to fill the gaps where (the municipality) cannot.”

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