Public figures urge residents to stay at home

The pride of Khayelitsha, Linomtha believes people can be creative during this time

With cases of Covid-19 increasing across the world – and the country – thespians, life coaches, and artists have urged people to follow the rules imposed by the 21-day national lockdown. These community builders believe that there is a need to take collective responsibility to protect ourselves and others from contracting Covid-19. The celebrities believe everyone must play their part to fight the spread of the deadly virus. They shared their thoughts with PHIRI CAWE.

R&B and soul singer Linomtha

We need to comply no matter what. This is not only for our own good but to protect other people.

This period has given me time to read out to my children and bond with them.

I also did things I was ignoring like baking and other things.

It is time to give your time to your family.

This is the right time for many to fix their relationships with their spouses. I must say, I have learnt a lot this during this period.

Let us be more creative rather than complaining about a lot of things.

We can download some apps and teach people far from us. To those of us who sing, we can also download apps to produce music. Stay home for the good of your family and the country.

What is important now is our lives. Crying and moaning will not really help.

This is an unprecedented time that needs us all to be united. I fear for the worst should this virus come to our areas. I urge each and every one of us to stay at home. I know we will come up tops.

Actor Tim Kwebulana

It is a tricky situation. When you say people must stay home, in which homes? Because most people don’t have houses.

People do not have food to keep indoors. They have to scratch here and there for a plate of food.

They do not have even a fridge to store food.

They have taps far from their homes. Sometimes the same communal taps are dry.

This for many people is a problem. But my fear is that, should the virus get to the townships, it will spread like wild fire.

It will destroy us.

The reality is, we don’t have resources but we have to try our utmost best to save our lives.

Under these circumstances, let us remain home and save the country. Let us adhere to the rules even though life is difficult for us.

Life coach, thespian, community builder and writer Andrea Nomasebe Dondolo

Sometimes we find ourselves in scary and strength draining situations. In the confusion we ask ourselves how did we get here.

That makes us even more stressed especially when we realise that now we are going to be like prisoners, locked down with no freedom of movement.

We can’t even get to work or visit friends, even to go job seeking. To a jobseeker the sense and ability to move gives hope.

It’s even harder when living in disadvantaged and stressed conditions which are remnants of the apartheid era.

We are in a new dispensation but we are still crammed like pilchards, the perfect conditions and territory for a killer virus to attack and annihilate multitudes if given a chance.

In all that, the Covid-19 has found us busy making do with what we got and keeping our dreams alive under testing conditions.

Through all that, let’s look at the future and know that all steps taken are for saving and preserving our lives.

Let’s work together in protecting each other.

With all that I have said it does not mean I agree with all the modalities of execution because our realities differ, I still maintain though let’s be accountable to each other and do our best to heed the call to flatten the curve .

Protect yourself, your family , in the end this is your life.