They're two of the women we see whenever the president, the minister of health or the minister of police go on national television to give us updates about Covid-19 – the women at the bottom of our screens who interpret every word coming from the leaders’ mouths.
The task they must perform is simple: translating everything into sign language for the hard of hearing.
Yet while it may be simple it’s by no means easy: miss one vital instruction or life-altering law and they won’t have done their job properly.
But Nicoline du Toit and Andiswa Gebashe are, so to speak, old hands at the game now.
South African sign language is as natural to them as their mother tongue – and now that they’ve been called on to help the government convey its messages during the war on coronavirus, they’ve risen to the occasion.
Nicoline (46) and Andiswa (34) are part of a team of five interpreters, and they operate in teams of two during broadcasts to make sure everything is covered.
“We work closely together as we interpret,” Nicoline says.
“I’m constantly looking to my teammate in case I miss something or misinterpret something – especially when the minister switches to another language.”
Andiswa and Nicoline both work for Kwarenge Language Solutions, which offers freelance services to government.
But the two women have more in common than just their job: they’ve been best friends for more than a decade and although neither were born with any form of hearing impairment, both were signing long before they learnt to speak.
Both Nicoline’s parents are deaf while Andiswa’s dad has a hearing impairment.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 23 April 2020-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der 23 April 2020-Ausgabe von YOU South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
BALLON IN THE BAG
Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante says his Ballon d'Or win is a victory for Spanish football
IT WAS ALL A LIE
A new doccie exposes the Grey's Anatomy writer who fabricated her life story
'I WILL NEVER GIVE UP'
After her husband, anticorruption activist Alexei Navalny, was poisoned and murdered by the Kremlin, she became the public face of Russia's opposition. In this candid interview Yulia Navalnaya opens up about life on the run, her perilous family life and why she's continuing her husband's fight to save their country
AGREE TO DISAGREE
Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book
PAUSE THE CLOCK
Researchers have discovered that the ageing process spikes at 44 and 60. Here's what you can do to slow it down
MPOOMY ON TOP
We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success
MY BROTHER IS NOT TO BLAME
Tinus Drotské says his sibling, ex Bok Nǎka, is the victim in the brawl with a neighbour that landed up in court
MATT THE RECLUSE
A year after his friend's tragic death, the actor continues to shun the spotlight
A LEAP OF FAITH
After her husband tried to kill her by tampering with her parachute she thought she'd never trust a man again-but now she's found love
THEY'RE MY KIDS!
This West Coast woman treats her monkeys as iftheyre humans and animal activists are not happy about it