Wendy Abrahams, Bayview
An open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
How are you doing Mr President?
Are you getting enough sleep?
Are you eating healthy foods to build up your immune system?
Are you even eating?
Are you taking good care of yourself?
Today, I dedicate my post to you, Sir.
I pray today especially that God will sustain you and give you your daily strength.
The country (and the world) sits with baited breath every time when we listen to the radio; and watch our television and computers, when you address the nation of South Africa.
I believe God has positioned you for a time such as this.
I can only imagine how overwhelming our current reality must be on you (as it is on the people). The onus is on you and your team, to make major decisions.
Decisions which are to the detriment of the economy, yet beneficial to the health of the inhabitants of SA.
Some people still do not understand the importance of physical distancing and the washing of hands and now even the benefits of wearing a cloth face mask.
They do not understand that you first need to ensure the health of the people of South Africa. Needless to say there are still people roaming the streets aimlessly, parties are still happening,
I hear its echo in the midnight sky and more and more people are being infected.
What good is a school if all the learners are sick?
What good is a shop when there is no one to serve?
What good is a shebeen when all its socialites are in quarantine?
What good is a country when all its citizens are wiped out?
Not only do you have to deal with facing this giant and the dire task of defeating it, but also be faced with the anarchy of some members of society.
That is a topic for another day, with different schools of thought debating on social media. Whether or not it’s okay for people to loot and destroy buildings, because they are hungry.
Today, Mr President, I only want to salute you.
May God give you wisdom during this time. May God be with you, may God be with us.
You are leading a strong fight against the relentless strain of coronavirus called Covid-19.
May the otherside of this pandemic bring us joy, peace and much love.
May it be that very South Africa we all long for it to be.
The one where education is equal for all and everyone has access to the same resources and high calibre of teachers.
I pray that as the virus is wiped out so too will corruption and racism go with it.
We know that ahead of us lies a new today, yesterday and tomorrow, without prejudice.
A time for healing together.
I remember the words of a Sunday School play in the 1980s: “The Lord just ministered something really new to me. He said everything has its own special time. Flowers have a time to bloom. Birds have a time to fly fast. Caterpillars have a time to become butterflies and then He said I would have a time when my two front teeth would be stumping.
“It’s His time. He makes all things beautiful in His time.”
In closing Mr President, just like you, I believe – We shall recover. We shall overcome. We shall prosper.
PS Don’t forget to take care of yourself. You matter, Mr President.