Diary page: Reflecting on the diary process

As we wrap up this phase of the Lockdown Diary Project, we asked our diarists: What has been your experience of the project? How have you found the process of sharing your lockdown diaries? Diarists shared their joy in participating in a ‘meaningful’, ‘informative’ and relevant project. Several of them appreciated the opportunity to share

Diary Page: Hope in times of COVID-19

During troubled times, moments of hope can be important. This week we asked our diarists: Has there been a particular moment or experience that gave you hope during the lockdown? For some diarists, the interventions by government such as the lockdown itself, expansion and increase of social grants, provision of water, food and shelter, and

‘the government is saying black lives don’t matter’: Opposing State Brutality in Cape Town

South Africans have been accused of protesting police violence in America whilst overlooking state brutality at home. Such critiques are important but it is also crucial that we don’t underestimate the opposition that exists to state violence, nor the fear that it provokes.In the wake of George Floyd’s death, under the knee of a white

Diary Pages: Why are we at the epi-centre?

The Western Cape has more than half of South Africa’s COVID 19 cases. This week we asked our diarists: Why do you think the Western Cape remains the epicentre of the COVID-19 virus in South Africa? A strong narrative arising from our diarists is that residents have not been able to  prevent the spread of

Diary Pages: Dear President Ramaphosa….

This week we asked our diarists: If you could speak to President Ramaphosa and ask him to deal with one important issue regarding lockdown, what would it be and why? Respondents raised a number of issues they felt strongly about. Below, we have highlighted those that came through most strongly – education, employment, health, alcohol,

Diary Pages: Intergenerational relationships

The lockdown and the spread of COVID-19 has changed the way most South African’s experience everyday life. To understand the impact of lockdown on intergenerational relationships we asked our diarists: Do you think that the lockdown has changed relationships between younger and older people in your household and your community? If so, in what ways

Diary Page: Gender roles and the lockdown

The lockdown has changed the way many function on a daily basis, in their home and in their community. We asked our diarists whether the lockdown changed the roles different genders play in their household or in the broader community. We probed to find out if there were changes in gender relations in regards to

Diary Pages: Army and Police Brutality

During the Lockdown, the government has deployed both the police and the army on the streets to police its lockdown legislation. At the end of May, Police Minister Bheki Cele claimed that almost 230,000 arrests had occured for lockdown infringements. During the same period, at least eleven people lost their lives at the hands of

Diary Pages: Work and Income

Just as South Africa was due to move to Level Three, we asked our participants whether the Lockdown had affected their work and income, and whether this was likely to change during Level Three. Income not affected For several of our participants – across different areas – there had been no shift in their income

Diary Pages: Religious Gatherings

The government announced that religious gatherings would be allowed under the level three lockdown regulations. These gatherings would have to be limited to 50 people and congregants must ensure they follow good hygiene practices such as wearing a mask and maintaining social distance. We asked our diarists how they felt about these new regulations. Opening