Azande Shandu (24 years) and Mbalenhle Cele (21 years old) from Tsakane open up about how COVID-19 took away both their mothers. The third wave of the virus left no stones unturned as it took the loved ones of many people.
The delta plus variant (third wave of coronavirus) shook most people by causing so many deaths and leaving families mourning and grieving. Azande Shandu, a varsity graduate mentions how the coronavirus left her without a mother and feeling anxious about the future. “My uncle’s wife had COVID-19 and died. In less than two weeks, my uncle died as well. We went to his funeral as he was very close to my mom. Soon after that, my older sister and mom were ill. My sister recovered which is surprising because her condition was worse than all of us. However, my mom didn’t recover even after she was given medication. We drove her to the hospital after seeing her struggling to breathe but we lost her on the way so I guess it was too late. She wasn’t sick for a long time seeing her dying was something I never thought I’d witness. This virus took away 3 people whom I dearly loved in less than 2 months. It hurts, I haven’t been the same ever since but I’m trying so hard to stay safe and heal. COVID-19 is real and it kills. I’ve seen my mother die in front of me and I feel robbed of her. I at least wanted her to see me graduate this year,” Shandu expresses sobbing.
Cele expresses how she also lost her beloved due to the Coronavirus. She states that she is now an orphan and wishes she had either one of her parents alive as she is still studying a Bachelor of Education (BEd) course. The young woman says she currently stays with her grandparents and her twin sisters who are turning 15-years-old by the end of the year. “My siblings have it hard because they were so used to having my mom around. Our dad passed on when I was doing matric. We also had a tough time then because we’ve always been daddies’ girls. The death of our mother hit the straw for us and it forces me to take the responsibility of being an adult for my sisters. Up until this day, I wish my mom had gotten a vaccine. We paid attention to the conspiracy theories around the vaccine and we were hesitant but all of that cost us a whole human being who is our mother. Perhaps if she took it, she wouldn’t have gone to the hospital and died there but I guess it was her time to go to heaven and spend time with her father and her beloved husband; our dad,” uttered Cele.
By Palesa Ndinisa
