Perspectives: Reflections on Covid 19 experiences

At a meeting of Methodist members who gathered at Norton Katanga Methodist Society for their end of year Braai function shared on their experiences during Covid 19. 

They had to reflect on the Covid-19 experiences as they shared gochi-gochi. 

What surprised them all was that the disease never left anyone behind.

They had friends and relatives who afforded but they, nevertheless, died.

Ordinary people got affected in one way or another. The first to share said he just felt an uneasiness in his body.

The wife phoned the elders, and they immediately said the man who was not feeling well should be taken to a Catholic run hospital called Paedro Pio Hospital as soon as possible.

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They did go to the hospital and there was a queue already of people who were also not feeling well.

The clinic staff started testing them for the disease.

The man tested positive while the wife tested negative.

The staff instructed them to bring back the whole family.

The whole family of nine members went and the daughter-in-law also caught the disease. The rest of the family was cleared with a healthy bill.

The instruction they got from the health authorities was that they should go and isolate themselves.

They went home and isolated.

Questions were coming about how they were isolating, and they just stated that all the members of the family were alerted that this man was positive with the disease.

That was the beginning of isolation for four weeks.

They bought some herbs like tsunami, zumbani (which was being sold along the roads and by ways from rural communities cheaply) and gum oils, and they went through kunatira a routine of cleansing themselves twice a day.

What is interesting is that this man had been injected the Covid-19 injection twice and thought he was safe.

This came as a surprise. One just wonders what could have happened if this man had not been vaccinated against the disease.

One just thinks it was because the man had been vaccinated that the virus became mild.

After the four weeks of isolation, the man heard that the sister-in-law was admitted with the corona virus in Harare.

The message came on Thursday and on Sunday the message of death of this sister came.

It was a shock because they could afford the medication, and no one thought she could just go like that. On Monday she was to be buried.

They had to drive to Harare for the funeral after their own experience.

They went to the cemetery, and they were not even allowed to be near the grave where their relative was buried. It was a traumatic experience.

The second man shared his own experience whereby he got visitors who had been in South Africa for a long time.

The relative just passed through seeing their in-laws in rural areas. He said the man in question did not sit near others.

He sat far from others claiming that he was not feeling well. The affected man thought he had the disease. So, he sat in the corner. After sharing food, they went to Harare.

The following day they got a message saying the man had been tested and he was positive.

The following day a message came that the man had died. They went to bury this person at the cemetery, but they were not allowed even to be near to see the body of their relative.

The third man shared his experience. The whole family had colds and persistent coughs.

Fortunately, they had a doctor in the family who sent them some medication to combat the disease.

 They followed the instructions, and they survived the ordeal.

The fourth man just declared that they all had it, but they survived.

The trauma was real because everyone was affected by the disease.

When it came to general discussion, we observed that pastors were at the deeper end with their own experiences.

 Some of our ministers died and this was relayed to us each time one died.

This was very disheartening to hear a pastor had succumbed to the disease.

It was really an unenviable position that they occupied.

Where death was announced pastors knew they were the first port of call. Everybody expected them to be there.

You can imagine where death was that is where the pastor was also, even though they were not allowed to see the person who had died but just to inter them.

The pastors did not have protective clothing even though members were being encouraged to have their pastors provided with protective clothing.

At times pastors were provided with some protection while at other times there was no protection.

A pastor could not stop going to a member’s funeral just because they did not have any protection. Such was the situation that confronted them.

So, each pastor had to treat each death as Covid-19 related. The pastor was on the frontline.

We thank God for keeping our pastors.

They faced death and were not afraid even though at each death they were facing their own death.

That is what their call is, to be with their member even in times of death.

The pastor were also invited to bury the relatives of their members who were not Christians.

Church life was affected. For the first time we began to know that we can be stopped from going to church.

Some thought the government was being cruel, but they had to protect us. And for two years we were banned from going to church.

To think of being stopped from attending churches was never a thing thought about. But this was our reality.

 It became normal not to go to church. But the church needed the support that came from members.

 As a church we need to appreciate our pastors for such a service like this.

Up to now there are many members who have not come back to the church.

The giving is very low just because members are not coming.

Online services were provided, but only a few people followed and perhaps understood.

An assessment of the services should be made of the services to see if they made an impact.

Many other activities of the church came to a standstill. No marriages, no baptisms and no communion.

As for singing you could hear from videos and the radio and television, but that was not enough.

• Rev Dr Levee Kadenge is Bishop Emeritus in the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. He is also the vice-principal of the United Theological College in Harare.