We Survived Covid-19

Five South Africans tell DRUM about their experiences with the contagious virus

- Nonkululeko Mazibuko

It's not a death sentence, this too shall pass. This is what South Africans are learning daily about Covid­-19.

While nearly 1 000 people have lost their lives to the virus that has ravaged the country, and the world, thousands more have recovered.

From medical professionals to sportsmen and ordinary citizens, the virus doesn’t discriminate.

There might not be a cure yet but there is hope, survivors tell us. They’ve lived through it – and they believe many others will too.

THREE weeks after attending the funeral of a relative, Sivuyile was shocked to discover several mourners had been infected with the coronavirus.

“We were told six mem­bers of that family had tested positive,” he says. “More terrifying news started to spread, including reports that a lot of people who were at that funeral had passed on, not knowing they were infected. I knew I needed to get tested before it was too late.”

Even though he was asymptomatic, Sivuyile worried he might have infected people without knowing he had the virus. “I tested on a Saturday, then on a Tuesday I got my results, I tested positive.”

Having seen the Covid­-19 death toll climb around the world, he couldn’t help thinking the worst.

“I was so scared when my results came back positive,” he tells us. “I told myself this is the end of my life. I thought I was going to die. But at the same time, I was also worried about my siblings, as I am the breadwinner. A lot of things were running through my mind.”