While South Africans watched President Cyril Ramaphosa as he addressed the nation on Tuesday night and announced a massive economic support package in response to the pandemic, several citizens took to social media to say they saw strain in his eyes.
One of them was Claire Lagerwall from KwaZulu-Natal, whose concern about the first citizen of the country prompted a 178-word poem of support.
Part of the poem reads: Are you OK, Mr President? / You look so sad / Your eyes tell a story / I'm sorry it's so bad.
“Last night when I saw the strain on our president's face and the pain in his eyes, my heart ached,” she told TimesLIVE.
“I cannot imagine the weight of the task he has before him, and the pressure he faces - not only as a president but as a husband and a father.”
Lagerwall, a mother of three and a freelance writer from Greytown, said the pandemic had been hard for her family too. She said they have been encouraged to hang on by the bravery shown by Ramaphosa in confronting it.
'Are you OK, Mr President?': woman pens ode after seeing pain in Ramaphosa's eyes
Image: Supplied
While South Africans watched President Cyril Ramaphosa as he addressed the nation on Tuesday night and announced a massive economic support package in response to the pandemic, several citizens took to social media to say they saw strain in his eyes.
One of them was Claire Lagerwall from KwaZulu-Natal, whose concern about the first citizen of the country prompted a 178-word poem of support.
Part of the poem reads: Are you OK, Mr President? / You look so sad / Your eyes tell a story / I'm sorry it's so bad.
“Last night when I saw the strain on our president's face and the pain in his eyes, my heart ached,” she told TimesLIVE.
“I cannot imagine the weight of the task he has before him, and the pressure he faces - not only as a president but as a husband and a father.”
Lagerwall, a mother of three and a freelance writer from Greytown, said the pandemic had been hard for her family too. She said they have been encouraged to hang on by the bravery shown by Ramaphosa in confronting it.
Lagerwall's letter to the president was her own way of letting him know that "we are supporting him, noma kunganjani (either way)".
Others took to social media saying that they felt for him - including Twitter user Zweli, who said: "Mr President, our hearts bleed with yours. Thank you for loving SA and her people.
"Your eyes show your pain, but God will carry you. God bless you."
The presidency did not respond to queries about sentiments expressed in support of him.
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