TALES OF HEARTACHE & HOPE
JUST a few short months ago it was something affecting other people in a country far, far away. The chances of it coming here were slim, we were told. Don’t panic.
But just look at us now. Like the rest of the world, we’re living life under the cloud of Covid-19 – and some people are losing their lives to it.
As the virus continues its relentless march across the world, stories of both heartache and hope are emerging about South Africans affected by the disease.
All drive home the fact we’re facing an invisible enemy that’s changing the globe forever.
REMEMBERING LOVED ONES
MADELEIN VAN WYK
On 27 March, this 48-year-old wife and mom from Durbanville in Cape Town became the country’s first coronavirus fatality.
Her husband, Tonie, and son, Ruan (24), couldn’t even say farewell to her as she clung to life in Mediclinic Durban-ville. No visitors are allowed for Covid-19 patients and, like thousands around the world, Madelein died alone.
Tonie was quarantined in his home when YOU spoke to him shortly after his wife’s passing. He’s devastated, he says. “It’s still a huge shock.”
The hospital called him when it became clear Madelein was dying and he was left helpless, alone with his
