As I sit here I am taken back by my thoughts. I think of how we all have no idea of what our future holds; indeed, tomorrow is a mystery to each and every one of us. A year ago we were a healthy country, we were fit and fine, but today it is a whole different story. We are sick due to a pandemic, it is very hard to deal or even go about our business. We mourn the deaths of our loved ones who have lost their precious lives due to this pandemic.

It is something we could have avoided if it were up to us, but we don’t have control of our future because that is how life is. You live everyday not knowing what tomorrow holds and all we can do is hope for the best because we can never change the inevitable. It is entirely up to us to be responsible and follow the rules and regulations and see to it that the virus does not spread more than it already has.

We have seen the worst as a nation and as I sit here I’m only left thinking what could’ve been, but as they always say, what is done is done. We should adjust to these conditions; it has somehow become our lifestyle. As long as it stays that way we are going to overcome this deadly virus and everything is going to go back to normal.

We hope and pray for our country, South Africa. But as I sit here my heart bleeds because women face two “pandemics”, including the very painful pandemic of gender-based violence (GBV). One that does not require you to wear a mask and distance yourself socially in order to save yourself. It doesn’t need you to stay at home and sanitise your hands to prevent it. As I sit here I’m in pain because GBV was and still is a problem in our country

I don’t know what men have against women. Every day we wake up to new cases of gender-based violence. This really triggers me; no man is allowed to take another life for he does not give life. If a person kills another, especially if it’s GBV, they must face the music. They shouldn’t breathe the same air as us, things shouldn’t be this way. We are tired of street protesting and mourning the deaths of our mothers and sisters every day. As I sit here I long for a better and safer South Africa.

Tell us: Do you agree that South Africa is facing two pandemics?