We, South Africans, love our curves, but here’s a bad one we need to flatten out. The coronavirus spreads from person to person like wildfire, causing the deadly covid-19 disease. If too many get sick at the same time (a steep curve!) our health system won’t be able to treat everybody. If we can limit the number of people getting sick at the same time (flattening the curve) the health system can cope.

The best thing you can do to help right now is to STAY HOME. STAY SAFE by following the health guidelines and STAY SANE with Food For Mzansi, by spreading facts, not fiction.

How Covid-19 has impacted black farmers in South Africa.
Food for Thought

The impact of Covid-19 on black farmers in South Africa

Dr Marc Wegerif -
The Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to disrupt societies. In South Africa it has caused millions to lose jobs and incomes. At the same time food prices have been going up, leaving more people food insecure. But the agricultural sector has also recorded bumper harvests and increased exports, creating an impression that farmers may be benefiting.
Mary-Ann Swart and Kathryn van Zyl are both agricultural students at the Jakes Gerwel Technical High School. They plan to pursue careers in agriculture. Photo: Food For Mzansi
News

Rural matrics and agri students urged to vax up

Duncan Masiwa -
After almost two years of disruption in schools and universities, Western Cape MECs Ivan Meyer and Debbie Schäfer are hopeful that vaccines will help the education sector find its way back to some semblance of normality.
There has been speculation that government may announce an addition alcohol sales ban should a third Covid-19 wave hit South Africa. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
News

Alcohol ban: Govt. flouts expert advice once more

Duncan Masiwa -
Government's order to keep liquor stores closed on weekends was not recommended by the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19, and alcohol traders and industry representatives are taken aback yet again.

Click here for our Covid-19 cartoon series in all 11 languages.

HOW TO STAY SAFE AND STAY HEALTHY.

For now, staying home is literally the best way to stay safe. Covid-19 spreads through human contact, so don’t be a rebel who still visits friends and family during the lockdown. Wash your hands with soap or alcohol-based sanitiser often – for at least 20 seconds at a time. Don’t touch your face and rather sneeze and cough into your armpit. And, if you really have to go to the shops, chemist or doctor, keep at least two metres distance between you and other people.

Wash your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. The World Health Organisation says hand-washing is also an act of solidarity because it reduces the risk of infecting other people in your community.

Stay active during the lockdown. In these strange and disquieting times, exercise can provide much-needed solace. There are also many workouts that can be done even in the most confined spaces.

If you love your friends and family, don’t visit them during the lockdown. We need to flatten the coronavirus infection curve. Rather connect virtually via Facebook, Skype or WhatsApp video calls.

HOW TO STAY HOME AND STAY SANE.

Social distancing does not have to mean loneliness. Try to stay in contact (remotely!) with your friends and family. Stay positive by creating a new routine for yourself, including regular exercises. There are many workouts that can be done in small spaces. There are even ways to stay social and date during the lockdown. If you don’t come out of this lockdown with a new skill, a side-hustle or more knowledge you never lacked time. You lacked discipline!

Support:

How to apply for coronavirus relief benefits:

How to manage your mental wellbeing:

How to inform your kids about coronavirus:

Exercise:

Have fun:

Learn:

Home learning tips for adults:

Home learning tips for learners:

TIPS TO SURVIVE COVID-19 LIKE A CHAMP!

Take up gardening. This is a great time to take even better care of your plants. Gardening is safe and will bear much more fruit than staying locked up inside. Turn couch potatoes into real potatoes!

Experiment with new flavours in the kitchen. Figuring out “What’s for dinner?” can be a challenge. Find ways to help feed your family a nutritious diet that will boost everyone’s health.

Learn a new language online or a new skill. If you have internet access you have the world at your fingertips. Search for free opportunities. Why not use this time to finish that book you’ve always wanted?

STAY IN TOUCH.

You don’t have to leave your home to know what is going on the rest of Mzansi during this lockdown. The team at Food For Mzansi is still working hard to bring you the stories and covid-19 experiences of South Africans just like you. Keep an eye on our website, and check in on our social media accounts. We love hearing from you and the rest of the Food For Mzansi community also like to share.
Limpopo farmers are being inoculated in the province as farms are opened up as vaccination sites. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi
COVID-19

Farms in Limpopo double up as vaccination centres

Duncan Masiwa -
Willing to play their part in the fight against Covid-19, farm owners in the Limpopo province are availing their farms as vaccination sites. They form part of a vaccination drive by the province’s MECs for health and agriculture and rural development.
civil society
COVID-19

Civil society efforts send ripples of change through SA

Refilwe Pico -
The key to combatting food insecurity is the creation of sustainable community-based food supply chains, argues Refilwe Pico, communications officer at the Seriti Institute. This non-profit is a developmental facilitation agency that helps communities and social partners reach their goals by delivering innovative, sustainable and comprehensive solutions to enhance socioeconomic impact.
Covid Survivor Food For Mzansi's resident nutritionist Andrea Du Plessis breaks down the benefits of raw foods and why many processed foods are unhealthy.
COVID-19

Are you a Covid survivor? Be careful with what you eat

Staff Reporter -
Recovering Covid survivors may still experience health issues for some time while healing from the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, says registered dietician Omy Naidoo.
vaccination
COVID-19

‘We feed you, so prioritise us for the Covid-19 vaccine’

Lucinda Dordley -
While many parts of South Africa is gripped by a third wave of Covid-19 infections, the agricultural sector has pleaded with government to prioritise...
entrepreneurship
COVID-19

Are agripreneurs the missing links in Covid-19 recovery?

Mahlogedi Thindisa -
Entrepreneurship is a national asset that helps economies grow and makes them resilient to the devastation caused by crises like Covid-19. These businesses need...
Restaurant Association of South Africa chief executive officer Wendy Alberts says new lockdown regulations won’t make much of a difference in struggling businesses. Photo: Getty Images
COVID-19

Millions availed for struggling hospitality businesses

Duncan Masiwa -
Just more than a year after the Covid-19 pandemic first hit Mzansi, black-owned hospitality businesses can finally apply for much-needed funding. This could be...

STAY INFORMED. SPREAD ONLY FACTS.

In time of crisis, facts matter most. Like the coronavirus itself fake news spread from person to person. Don’t be someone who helps misinformation endanger the lives of the people you love.

Follow only credible sources, like Food For Mzansi and these useful websites:

FLATTEN THE CURVE

Here’s the best way to keep up to date with the latest, most reliable data on South Africa’s covid-19 tests, infections, recoveries and deaths.

Food For Mzansi is an initiative to introduce South Africans to the unsung heroes of the agricultural industry. We unashamedly share success stories and good news from the farms and agri-businesses who feed South Africa. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

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