Uncertainty grows as Covid-19 infections begin to peak. New Frame photojournalists explore the extraordinary resilience of people trying to survive under the most extreme circumstances.
18 July 2020: Cofounder of the Bambanani Food and Herb Cooperative Project Refiloe “Fifi” Molefe at the Bertrams Inner City Farm, which has been supplying organic produce to the homeless in Hillbrow during the pandemic. (Photograph by James Puttick)
Covid-19 has revealed more than just the inequalities in our society. It is also bringing out the best in us as communities rally together to help the most vulnerable. This sense of solidarity is being felt across Johannesburg, as an urban farmer aims to feed the homeless in the inner city and a number of restaurants – even as they fight for survival – open their kitchens to feed the hungry.
But many in our society also live in constant fear. Police attack migants, refugees and undocumented people, making it increasingly difficult for street sellers to trade. Many live without running water or ablutions and still have not received social relief – either in the form of grants or food parcels.
As South Africa heads towards the half million infected mark, the need for a cogent and broad spectrum response becomes more urgent.
7 July 2020: Children walk and play alongside a group of people singing xenophobic songs in Thokoza. The trucker’s protest was characterised by hate speech and threats towards migrants from African countries. (Photograph by James Oatway)9 July 2020: Sandile Twala, 23, looks after his father’s tuckshop in Makause shack settlement. (Photograph by James Oatway)14 July 2020: Eunice Duba (seated), 57, has not received her R350 unemployment relief fund since last month, even though she got an SMS notification that her application had been approved. She has been queueing outside the Jabulani Mall Post Office every day since 10 July with no luck because of the large turnout of people. She suffers from high blood pressure and arthritis and cannot stand for long. Duba is afraid she might contract the virus because there is no social distancing. (Photograph by Oupa Nkosi)18 July 2020: Nelson Mandela Day came in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has worsened the world’s poverty crisis. Naledi Dube, 19, and Lesedi Moakoe, 18, approached their parents in Central West Jabavu in Soweto to help in buying food, party packs and snacks to share with impoverished children in the township. They also set up a white cloth where each child could place their hand print in celebration of Madiba’s legacy. More than 120 children showed up and left happy with some food and snacks. (Photograph by Oupa Nkosi)19 July 2020: Chairperson of the Mutungwa Service Delivery Task Team, Nhlanhla Khumalo, addresses community members and leaders at a meeting to discuss service delivery issues in the Johannesburg inner city. Many residents there live in buildings without running water and ablutions, and many are still waiting for government food aid. (Photograph by James Puttick)22 July 2020: Staff at Junior in Gardens, Cape Town, watch as demonstrators walk by. Restaurants across South Africa came out to protest against the lockdown restrictions, citing the ban on alcohol and the curfew as crippling their industry and threatening the livelihoods of their staff. Restaurants moved their furniture onto the streets and carried placards saying “Jobs save lives”. (Photograph by Barry Christianson)30 July 2020: Excavations in District Six are made in preparation for the building of new housing units that will be given to families who were forced out of the area during the Group Areas Act forced removals in the 1960s. (Photograph by Barry Christianson)30 July 2020: The excavations in District Six have unearthed the remains of buildings now visible against the backdrop of the rest of the city. (Photograph by Barry Christanson)
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