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Open Letter to Coronababies

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Open Letter to Coronababies

Government Communicator at the office of the KZN MEC for EDTEA, Ndabezinhle Sibiya
Government Communicator at the office of the KZN MEC for EDTEA, Ndabezinhle Sibiya

8th May 2020

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Respectfully, as I write this letter I know that most of your mothers are yet to give birth to you.

Given the fact that lockdown regulations were announced by the President of the Republic Cyril Ramaphosa on the 23rd March, I certainly know that you are likely to be born in December.

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It is not often that I write about bedroom politics but – it is true that most of you have been conceived at the height of lockdown regulations introduced to contain the spread of coronavirus. It is for these reasons I refer to you as Coronababies.

Admittedly, my capacity to analyse bedroom politics is weak, therefore I cannot write with authority on the subject matter.

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Nevertheless, having scanned the social media, I have first-hand glimpse of what is happening behind closed doors in many households.

Your parents have had their lives radically altered in a manner that you will never understand until you are adults.

One lady in Durban complained bitterly on Facebook stating that coronavirus is sending her to a brink of mental breakdown. She says the first few weeks were great but she can’t take it anymore.

Another videoclip is circulating through WhatApp Groups with a matured woman accusing her husband of spending hours sitting idly and changing television channels.

There are couples and families celebrating spending time together – watching movies, talking and supporting each other. They believe that the outbreak has brought them together.

However, the number of couples who are celebrating being quarantined is not encouraging compared to December. During the festive season, the social media is always decorated with happy couples – full of love. 

By and large, the total eradication of coronavirus and the end of a lockdown have become matters of life and death for many couples. They can’t wait to be free.

Having said that, it is quite interesting to see the MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Nomusa Dube-Ncube speaking about entrepreneurship revolution.

She has been marshalling management and all categories of staff in the department and entities to ensure that resources in the hands of the state are used to liberate ordinary members of society from the jaws of grinding poverty.

She has given instruction to senior management to use their technical knowledge to speed up the implementation of key interventions that should reach people across all corners of the province.

She says the people of this province must be empowered to produce their own goods instead of consuming goods and products that are imported. She says the outbreak of coronavirus should mark the entrepreneurship revolution.

Critically, she has said instead of spending all resources to ameliorate poverty, she will sustain the focus on the total eradication of poverty by ensuring that there is equal access to economic opportunities.

She has been leading a campaign against food price hikes and has ensured that owners of retail shops are prosecuted. In one instance, she had to pay groceries of two pensioners in one supermarket.

Through the department’s Business Regulations Unit, she is also sustaining a fight against international syndicates who are involved in cross border crime.

In particular, she says the selling of counterfeit goods is crippling the economy of the province. In this regard, she has vowed to protect the economy of the province for future generations.

She says nobody is above the law.

Undoubtedly, the corona crisis is bringing a different kind of leadership to the fore.

Clearly, the future South African nation must be defined in terms of unquestionable patriotism, compassion and elimination of all prejudice.

This is what Nomusa Dube-Ncube seeks to achieve.

She says unity of all South Africans will be achieved if our nation is defined in terms of the best values of honesty, hard work, integrity and care for the vulnerable members of society.

It is important that the attitude that defines the current and future South Africa should be hope and optimism.

She has undoubtedly she has created hope for a better future.

It is also important to realize that forward advancement will not be without setbacks and frustration.

In other words, we are the  nation that provides billions of rands through welfare grants to feed the poor, disabled and retired senior citizens and yet the same nation that produces serial killers that butcher the lives of innocent women.

We are the nation that surprised the world and hosted a magnificent world cup in history of FIFA and the same nation that shocked the world with the unimaginable car hijackings and cash heists in various parts of the country.

We are nation that built many facilities for various communities but the same nation that will rise up in protest to burn those down to prove we need more services.

Strong leadership will undoubtedly emerge each time we go through crisis.

Therefore, all the setbacks we suffer periodically should not be seen as a fatal sign of regression.

Critically, the future success depends on us holding hands and rising after every fall instead of imagining the worst each time we falter as a nation. 

As Coronababies, we will rely on you to take forward the dream of a prosperous KwaZulu-Natal which is stronger socially and economically.

I hope you will have a great future ahead.

 

Written by Ndabezinhle Sibiya in his capacity. Sibiya is a Government communicator at the office of MEC for Department of Economic Development, Tourism And Environmental Affairs

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