SA parties like it's 2019 as crowds, traffic jams and fun dispel Covid-19 gloom

The president's family meetings have stopped, traffic jams and packed clubs are back, and many office workers and schoolchildren feel like it’s 2019 all over again.

Hospitals are able to refocus on services that fell by the wayside during the height of the pandemic and there are signs the state of disaster will officially end soon.

The department of health has warned, however, that the crisis is not over and reminded South Africans that “many are still in ICU and on ventilators and many are losing their lives, and the only way to get close to normal safety is for more people to get vaccinated or the eligible to get their boosters”.

Africa’s busiest leisure hub, the V&A Waterfront, is seeing numbers close to a pre-pandemic world. Its retail sales executive, Alex Kabalin, said: “December 2021 saw an increase in excess of 30% over the same period in 2020, returning to almost 90% of pre-pandemic levels.”

Retail sales for 2021 were up to 75% of 2019’s figures — the last normal trading period — and footfall at the venue’s shopping centre during December was up 48% on the month before. 

The drop in foreign visitors, however, remains a problem, said Kabalin. “January through to Easter are traditionally strong months for international tourism and the big unknown is the extent of this recovery.”

According to traffic data service TomTom, Joburg had more than 100 traffic jams on Friday morning with congestion levels reaching 30%. This is similar to 2019 levels. In Cape Town, rush hour traffic last year was 22% less congested than in 2019,  and in Durban, the improvement was  12%. But both cities’ congestion levels are heading back towards pre-Covid figures.

The bars and restaurants of Melville, Rosebank and Newtown in Johannesburg were filled with students, young professionals and other revellers this week.

Cricketer Kagiso Rabada joined a group of friends at Rosebank’s Sin+Tax, while comedian Ebenhaezer Dibakwane was seen dancing at Ruby Soho in Melville. The infamous 7th Street looked like the pre-Covid party hotspot it once was. ​

Winston Jacobs of Luviesfood, a gourmet food truck that trades at markets, said: “There is some degree of life returning to normalcy. We started seeing this in December when things  started picking up again.

“We got booked for birthday parties, corporate year-end functions and weddings. That’s when we saw that people were ready to go out.”

Durban Chamber of Commerce CEO Palesa Phili said: “Based on our observation and interaction with the business community, we are seeing employees gradually returning to work. We can expect to see organisations adopting the hybrid work model — work from home and at the office.

“We believe Covid presents an opportunity for businesses to rethink and redesign their work environments.”

Brett Tungay, East Coast chair of the Federated Hospitality Association of SA,  said December “was good for KwaZulu-Natal tourism with many businesses reporting turnovers close to, or exceeding, December 2019 figures. This is encouraging as this is nearly entirely domestic tourism.”

Tungay said inbound international tourism should be in full swing by June, but financial recovery in the industry could take up to five years.

“Many businesses have closed permanently, with those that have survived having taken on a lot of debt to stay afloat.”

Durban residents have taken full advantage of the relaxed regulations.

Droves of youths lined the sidewalks of the  popular hangout spots on Florida Road this weekend, and night clubs were at capacity.

At the Wild Coast Sun in the Eastern Cape, positive signs of recovery also shone through.

General manager Peter Tshidi said that during December “our room nights sold rose to 99% of December 2019, the closest metric we have before the pandemic began”.

He added: “What is interesting to note is that the beginning of December was buoyed by an increase in conferencing business, but by mid-December our guests were upcountry domestic travellers, booking holidays for their families. They also booked longer stays, with the minimum period being three days.”

Health ministry spokesperson Foster Mohale said both the demand for, and supply of, nonCovid health services had picked up.

During the fourth wave, he said, Covid admissions were lower than expected and “hospitals started seeing a steady increase in the number of [nonCovid] patients seeking care”. This “opened up the spaces for admissions of patients for routine health services”.

Minister in the presidency Mondli Gungubele said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s family meetings had been suspended.

“Now we have gone beyond that moment of anxiety and the messages we issue through print are enough,” he said. “I am not saying he has stopped. We are sending a message that things are getting better.”

Gungubele said Ramaphosa will continue to receive advice from experts in the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and continue to meet the President’s Co-ordinating Council. “The NCCC meeting will go on until there is no [national state of] disaster,” he said.

BACK TO WHAT?

Studies by the universities of Western Australia and Bristol found people’s political leanings affected preferences for a post-Covid world. Those on the Right preferred a return to normal more than those on the Left. Those on the Left wanted a future that is more progressive and sustainable. However, strong opposition to a progressive future was quite limited, even among people on the Right.