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THE COVID-19 ‘HILL WE CLIMB’

26/01/2021 00:22:00 BY Lwazi's Pandora's Box

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My dearest readers ...

Last Wednesday, with the whole world watching, she stood on the podium and the wind seemed to stop blowing. She cleared her throat and then belted the heart-soothing poem ‘The hill we climb’ and the world went agog.

That is Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old American poet and activist from Los Angeles who recited the poem during the inauguration of US president Joe Biden and Vice-president Kamala Harris as Donald Duck…er Donald Trump’s horror reality show came to a juddering halt.

It is the opening line in the poem that touches the cockles of my heart at the heart of the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic, which has removed more than two million souls from the face of the earth and is causing us unbearable pain with each passing day.

“When day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade. We braved the belly of the beast.”

How poignant!

Last week, this State-of-the-Nation-Sports-Address (SONSA) called upon football authorities to lead the way by lifting the veil of secrecy around the COVID-19 pandemic because football is the country’s leading sport; loved and followed by thousands of people.

This column, argued, with reason, that we are losing many sports personalities to the coronavirus yet we still knowingly attach a stigma by not speaking about the scourge openly and help government advocacy around it. I am glad, if not overtly proud, that a former national team player, Mfanzile ‘Fash’ Dlamini took the baton and spoke about the virus openly in an interview with this newspaper.

class

A gangly striker whose first touch was pure class, body swerves tore defences apart and his lethal shots made goalkeepers faintly ill, ‘Fash’ was brave enough to state he had tested positive and was on the road to full recovery.

He shared how he has managed to hang in there and pray even harder as he took the medication in fighting the virus.

Most importantly, how it is important for everyone to adhere to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and government regulations of sanitising, wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing.

Say your say ‘Fash’.

“The virus is real and we need to prevent it before we are infected because not all of us can recover. I also want to send condolences to all those who have lost their family members through this virus.”

Good people, on a traumatic week when we not only lost two top football officials, Manzini Wanderers director, Thembumenzi ‘T-Man’ Mkhatjwa and Manzini Sea Birds long serving official, London Dlamini, but even the Minister of Labour and Social Security Makhosi Vilakati (may their good souls repose peacefully), we are obviously all apprehensive as government’s lethargic pace on the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine and the credible rollout plan continues unabated. In the meantime, we can only help save ourselves by sticking to the WHO/government regulations, having a positive mindset and keep on praying to the Almighty God.

Most importantly, we need to keep on passing the message of hope that together we can win this war against the virus.

That’s why we have to applaud people like ‘Fash’ Dlamini for coming out to speak about the virus openly. This is what our sports associations should be doing in particular football as the leading sport.

Tested

The openness will make it easier even for the players to come out and tell their bosses if they have tested positive because it will remove the stigma around the virus.

As we know that our players are staying with their immediate families and they are not in the bio-bubble environment, it will help save many lives as they would have to self-isolate immediately.

The veil of secrecy around the virus in our sports, football in particular, must be lifted. Not only is disclosure valuable public health information, but it will help everyone realise the true situation on the ground and save many lives.

We need each other more than ever now. The past week, alone, has shown all of us that nobody is immune from the virus.

Thanks ‘Fash’ for leading the way in speaking openly about your condition and how you have worked your way to full recovery. You have inspired many other people out there. You have given hope in a hopeless situation. Your words of encouragement will help spread the message and save many lives.

Well done, ‘Fash’ ...