Their Actions Almost Ruined Us

A Limpopo man tells DRUM of the ordeal he and his family faced after lies about his Covid-19 diagnosis were spread

- Duenna Mambana

A Heartless monster, infected with the deadly Covid-19 virus was stalking Tzaneen and knowingly spreading the virus to everyone he encountered.

Villagers, already panicking about the disease that had rapidly crossed oceans and claimed tens of thousands of lives around the world, were terrified.

So when a picture of the handsome, smartly dressed man popped onto their cellphone screens, they shared it, and his name with everyone they knew – with terrible consequences for him.

Bongani Ngoveni was the man in the photos, but it was a few days before he found out his community thought he was a monster.

When he tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, Bongani did what he was supposed to do – he called his family to break the bad news, and asked them to prepare a separate room for him so he could self-quarantine during the lockdown.

He had no symptoms of the virus – aches, fever or difficulty breathing – but the worst was still to come for the 30-year-old.

He arrived home in Nkambako Village outside Tzaneen in Limpopo to learn that not only was his diagnosis no longer a private matter, his picture was being circulated on social media, along with accusations that he was knowingly spreading the virus.

A story that he had been arrested and charged for spreading the virus, soon followed.

Bongani is furious that someone did this to him and his family, who have suffered terrible abuse from their fellow villagers. Only an immediate neighbouring household supported them.

His mother, Angelina, says people openly mocked her and called her names, like “Mhana Corona” (Corona’s mom), and refused to interact with her or the rest of her family.