A year on, families battle to cope with their loss
A YEAR after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in South Africa, families who lost loved ones due to the pandemic are still trying to come to terms with their loss.
Kavesh Naidoo, 28, of Hillcrest said he was still “putting the pieces of his life back together” after his mother’s death.
Naidoo’s mother, Dr Thigamberie Reddy, 56, was a dermatologist and worked at Life Chatsmed Garden Hospital, Life Crompton Hospital and the RK Khan Dermatology Clinic for close to 25 years.
Naidoo, who had been living and working at an ashram in India for the past 10 years, said he returned home to be with his mother last August due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
“It’s just my mum and me and I decided to relocate because I felt during this pandemic anything could happen and I didn’t want her to be alone.
“She was extremely passionate about her job and people, a genuinely kind person, very caring towards her patients, and it was evident with the outpouring of community grief,” he said.
Naidoo said he and his mother got Covid-19 at the same time but he recovered. He said it had been extremely tough starting over in South Africa and adjusting to life without his mother.
The family of another health-care worker, registered nurse Sister Thembisile Veronica Mathe, 62, from Woodlands, said they were also still adjusting to life without her.
Her daughter, Nkabanhle Mathe, said Thembisile worked in hospitals around the country since 1985, then spent six years working in the UK before returning to Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital.
“She was a joyful and energetic person. She loved her job and treated everyone she worked with as family. In her free time she was always with her family. She always went the extra mile for people and always left everyone in the room smiling. She did everything for us, so her passing has been so hard.
She said her other siblings also experienced symptoms when Mathe got sick in December. She added that the family were extra vigilant about interacting with people safely.
“Especially during the time of her funeral, we were strict with the number of people who could attend and made sure everyone was wearing masks and had sanitising stations around the house, and we still have sanitising stations even though we don’t have visitors.”
Nkabanhle said Covid-19 had robbed their family of so much and they were still fearful of it.
“With all the precautions it doesn't mean that you won’t catch the virus. It has made us more fearful, because you can have it more than once, and we are worried what will happen if our father gets it,” she said.