Bukiwe Gijana had just landed in Wuhan to start her career as a teacher. But her dreams were shattered when the deadly Coronavirus erupted and caused havoc across China.

 “I was there two months before the lockdown started. The situation was very terrible. We could not get out of our rooms. We were always indoors alone,” said Gijana.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize and Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba, arrive at The Ranch Hotel Resort where a group of 146 South Africans who travelled from China have been quarantined for the past 14 days. ( Photo: Chester Makana / Mukurukuru Media)

She was speaking to Mukurukuru Media shortly after president Cyril Ramaphosa gave the group of 112 students, evacuated from Wuhan in China a fortnight ago, a clean bill of health and permission to return home on Sunday. The group comprised 146 in all, including the evacuation crew and medical staff.

They spent 14 days quarantined at The Ranch Resort Hotel in Limpopo. Ramaphosa and his entourage met the group on Sunday, bidding them farewell.

“You are the best evangelists of a lockdown, because you, above anyone else, have seen that a lockdown does work,” Ramaphosa told the evacuees and members of the SANDF.

“I urge you to spread the message to South Africans, what a lockdown can do, because Wuhan was able to reduce the level of infections because they had a lockdown,” said Ramaphosa.

The crew which led the evacuation was also kept at the hotel as a precautionary measure, but they have tested negative for the virus.

Meanwhile, Gijana relived the stressful times spent in Wuhan.

“We also feared to use the lifts to go downstairs. We were not sure what was going to happen next. It was devastating and I was scared,” she said.   

She said she had been lonely and that she had to urge her mother in the Eastern Cape to stop watching the news.

“I told my mom to stop watching news because she was stressing and sometimes struggled to eat,” said Gijana

“We know that going to another quarantine is fine, as long as we are with our families,” she said.

Kamogelo Ramaru from Bloemfontein has been studying at Wuhan University since 2016. He said sticking to the Chinese government lockdown saved his life.

“We came back home safe, and this is due to adhering to the lockdown. Please comply, it’s the only way,” he said.

Ramaphosa appealed to the group to be ambassadors of the lockdown in their communities. The evacuees, members of the military, SAA crew and hotel staff were addressed in groups of three.

Ramaphosa also used the opportunity to paint a picture on how China has moved from being the epicentre of coronavirus.

The number of Covid-19 cases is on the increase in Europe, with Italy and the US also recording mounting infections. South Africa has recorded at least 1,171 cases of Covid-19.

“We are delighted that you are back home, but we are also delighted that you are coronavirus-free,” said Ramaphosa

Ramaphosa said the evacuees were testimony to the meaning of compassion by their government. Ramaphosa said the decision to evacuate the group was taken despite an assurance from the Chinese government that the evacuees were in good hands.

“We said we want our own back home in South Africa and we insisted, you should be brought home, that is why we came with his operation, Operation Evacuate, to bring you back home,” said Ramaphosa.

Limpopo premier Chupu Mathabatha reiterated that South Africans should learn from those who had been in China.

He asked the evacuees to make their neighbourhoods aware of the disease and put them in a position to understand the national lockdown.

Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba appealed to the evacuees to adhere to the lockdown when they went home. DM

This article was produced by Mukurukuru Media.