LISTEN: COVID-19: Five years since SA's lockdown
Five years after the world came to a virtual standstill, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shape many lives.
The pandemic, which changed the way we lived, loved, and lost, left an indelible mark on scores of families in South Africa and around the globe.
East Coast Radio's sister station, Jacaranda FM, has created a five-part podcast series commemorating five years since the country's hard lockdown on 26 March 2020. In the latest episode of ’The Covid Chronicles,’ the team gives a voice to South Africans who faced the virus head-on: those who battled for survival, lost loved ones, and are still navigating the healing process in 2025.
One of the voices in this episode is Corinne, a mother who contracted COVID-19 at the same time as her family. Despite taking every precaution, she found herself nursing her husband and three children while battling the virus herself.
Years later, the trauma still lingers.
"My three children were sick. The youngest was very ill. I remember him not being able to lift his hand," she recalls in 'The Covid Chronicles'.
"Even now, when any of them get sick, I have this deep fear that it's something worse," she added.
For Chanel September and Gcinokuhle Malinga, the pandemic brought profound personal loss.
Both lost a parent to the virus, leaving them to navigate grief in a world that has largely moved on.
"He was a good person. He loved life, lived fully, and had a deep passion for news," Chanel remembers of her father, who passed away at the age of 61.
"It felt like everything happened so fast. One moment, he was here, and the next, we were planning a funeral over the phone."
Listen to the full episode at the top of the page or directly below.
Mental health professionals warn that the pandemic’s psychological effects have not faded.
Senior counsellor Caley Wood from the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) said that many are still struggling with complicated grief and trauma.
"A global study found that the prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% during the pandemic, and for some, this effect has persisted," she explained.
"The sudden nature of loss, the isolation people experienced, and the uncertainty of that time created a mental health crisis that we are still dealing with."
Catch more episodes from this special limited Podcast series via the channel below:
The Covid Chronicles: Masks, Thermometers, and ‘My Fellow South Africans’ is a JacPod Original series. The Jacaranda FM News team researched, wrote, produced, and presented it.