Anguish, listening, resilience: Zweli Mkhize reflects on a year of Covid-19

It was a call to the president he hoped he would never have to make, but a year ago, Dr Zweli Mkhize had to do exactly that.  

“I flew to Johannesburg the night before to address a black business meeting. On my way to the airport to fly to Cape Town, I got the call about the first confirmed Covid-19 case. I was rushing to parliament to respond to the debate about the country’s readiness for Covid-19. 

“I remember the rush to go and brief the president (Cyril Ramaphosa). I started by saying, this is the call I wished never to make, to report that Covid-19 had arrived in SA,” the health minister told Sunday Times Daily.

Mkhize announced to SA on March 5 that the country’s patient zero had tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a trip to Italy with his wife and eight others. The 38-year-old man returned on March 1 and visited his GP on March 3 after complaining of fever, headaches, a sore throat and cough. 

When the man, his wife, their children and his doctor went into self-quarantine, private KwaZulu-Natal school Cowan House announced it would close after confirmation that a parent of one of its pupils had tested positive for the virus.

“I recall the packed meeting of anxious parents in Cowan school in Hilton and the huge media presence. That’s when I realised, if we must succeed in this fight we need to calm the anxieties by providing factual information timeously,” Mkhize said.

One of the lessons he has learnt in the past year is the art of listening.

“One can never stop learning to be a better listener because it is important to be able to empathise as one engages people. Much of the time, communication breaks down because of a failure to listen, not necessarily because of divergent views. During Covid-19 there was a great deal of fear and anxiety because it was an unknown threat for which we had no precedent.

“As a medical doctor, we are trained to confront biological threats with confidence, such that even if one’s confronted with a disease one has never seen before, it is still possible to discern certain scientific and biological patterns to be able to manage the threat. And we are trained to approach it calmly and methodologically.

For some people, this kind of threat induces a great deal of panic and fear. These need to be recognised and acknowledged, and by doing so one becomes a more effective communicator, able to relay a reassuring message that all can understand.

—  Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize

“But for some people, this kind of threat induces a great deal of panic and fear. These need to be recognised and acknowledged, and by doing so one becomes a more effective communicator, able to relay a reassuring message that all can understand,” Mkhize said.

The past 12 months have also exposed Mkhize to the anguish of isolation.

“Human beings are social by nature and Covid-19 stripped us of our normal traditions and cultures by forcing us to keep a distance from each other. Worst of all, at the time we most need affection – such as when ill in hospital or when a loved one passes away – we found ourselves isolated, without the comfort of a hug or an embrace. Closeness and sociability are fundamental aspects of being human and so the lockdowns, quarantine and isolation have taken a real mental-health toll on our people.”

He also learnt that SA is resilient.

“Despite the hardships we have faced in our economy, we were able to secure food and help many families remain nourished throughout the period of the pandemic. We have begun vaccine rollout in the face of a highly competitive and protective vaccine market. We saved businesses from closing down and even undertook historic ventures such as manufacturing our own ventilators. We saw the spirit of ubuntu as South Africans from all walks of life, helping each other to weather the storm together,” Mkhize said.

Mkhize also contracted the virus.

“I had said most of us would get Covid-19, but it was a matter of ensuring we didn’t all get it at the same time and completely overwhelm the system. Covid-19 is real and, indeed, for many who have had it they will attest that it was definitely something they had never experienced before.

“Anyone can get Covid-19 and anyone can die of Covid-19. The death toll now puts Covid-19 as one of the top 10 killers in this country. In fact, when the statistics come out, it will most likely displace tuberculosis, which has previously been in the top spot of medical killers. We must therefore all remain vigilant until population immunity is achieved.”