Thanks to the pandemic, New Zealanders scattered across the globe are celebrating Christmas in different ways. As we count down to the big day, Kiwis on each continent share what the festive season will look like for them. In the final story in our seven-part series, Katarina Williams speaks to Wendy Stewart – most recently of Auckland – in South Africa’s rural Karoo.
Wendy Stewart is the first to admit her life in South Africa is anything but conventional.
Her work revolves around feeding those in need in the dry, dusty part of Karoo on the republic’s Eastern Cape – an area beset by high unemployment, a high number of orphans, poverty and HIV.
Stewart said the area hasn’t changed much since apartheid ended more than a quarter of a century ago, and poverty is rife. People do what they need to do to survive.
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“Yes, they steal if they can, they fight, their culture is noisy and rough,” Stewart said.
But amongst the deprivation and overwhelming need, Stewart and her husband Gordon – who met and married in New Zealand in 2006 – have chosen to serve others through their non-profit registered charity the SonShine Care Group.
As South Africa is confronted by a second wave of the virus, Stewart isn’t afraid to hug children when they need it, visit the homes of the sick, or open her doors to the hungry – all the while wearing masks and practising good hand hygiene.
As well as feeding her community, who can range from school drop-outs, “old men with no hope, young troublemakers, those out of jail”, Stewart also has seven orphaned children living with her. The youngest, MJ, is just 13 months old.
Like so many other days, Stewart will spend Christmas Day in the kitchen. Chicken biryani, salads and a macaroni dish will be on the menu, followed by carrot and chocolate cake with custard and ice cream.
“We will open our door, and serve those who come. Each year so far, we have shared our table with others. This year, we will set up a table outside for those who come.
“We don’t do presents [for each other], as there is nothing we need, and [we] would rather give to others.
“I would love to spend up large on books, Lego, Meccano and cars for our boys, but we can’t do that. It is a dichotomy of push-pull for us. My mother’s heart wants to buy some good toys or books, but how can I when we need to pay for extra schooling for our boys, and buy food to deliver into our community?” Stewart said.
Placing a table outside this year has become another necessary symptom of the Covid-19 pandemic. South African has recorded more than 940,200 cases, with almost 25,000 deaths to date. In reality, the number infected and killed in probably significantly higher.
The republic has been confronted with a second wave of Covid-19 infections this month, with scientists uncovering new evidence suggesting at least a quarter of the country’s population – potentially as high as a third – may have been infected during the first wave in July, the BBC reported.
Last week, the second wave was being blamed on a series of mass end-of-year student parties known as “rage festivals” which had become super spreading events. South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize warned that if the case trajectory continued, the health system would be overwhelmed.
Mkhize announced a new variant of the virus, known as 501.V2, had been detected in South Africa. While it is different to the new strain found in Britain, it was similar in that it was spreading rapidly. It also appeared to be infecting more young people than in the first wave.
Four provinces – Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng Province – were the most affected by the resurgence.
It was difficult to get an accurate picture of how Covid-19 was impacting all of Africa, because some nations did not have the infrastructure, equipment – including reagents – and human resources needed to carry out mass testing, the World Health Organisation said.
The bulk of testing in Africa – considered to be low compared to other continents – was being done in South Africa, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Rwanda, Uganda and Ghana.
Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini, 52, of Eswatini, a small mountain kingdom northeast of South Africa, was believed to be the first world leader to succumb to Covid-19.
COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS
- South Africa: 940,212 confirmed cases; 25,246 deaths
- African country with highest case numbers: South Africa
- African country with highest death toll: South Africa
Source: Johns Hopkins University
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Article source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/123778553/kiwis-covid-christmas-big-need-but-even-bigger-heart