Yes we can!

Covid-19 may have moved in and set up camp all over SA, but thankfully there are some new kids on the block (actually, almost every block in Cape Town) fighting the good fight. These volunteers are keeping their neighbourhoods safe and connected while the virus tries to keep us apart.

- CAROLINE PETERSEN

IN March, there were murmurs that South Africa was about to be put on lockdown. A group of mutually connected volunteers realised that while a complete shutdown was necessary, it could be devastating for many communities. They decided to act quickly. A Facebook page was set up and an online volunteer form created – four months later, Cape Town Together (CTT) has more than 15 000 volunteers helping while the pandemic unfolds.

‘It evolved organically as a result of people wanting to offer a social response to Covid-19,’ says Marcela Guerrero Casas, one of the original CTT members who also happens to be a founder of Open Streets, an initiative that aims to change how we use, perceive and experience streets. ‘We realised that a medical solution is only part of the solution to this crisis.’ CTT is made up of public health professionals, community organisers, social activists, philosophers, scientists, political economics, psychologists and mental health experts. ‘There’s no “founder”,’ says CTT member Dr Leanne Brady. ‘It’s more about collective leadership. We don’t need another hero. It belongs to all of us.’

CTT established smaller groups called Community Action Networks (CANs) in several Cape Town neighbourhoods. Neighbours could link up with neighbours, share their skills and resources, and start establishing exactly where their community was most vulnerable under lockdown and what they needed to do in response. ‘There’s no copy-paste model,’ Leanne explains. ‘CANs are self-organising and are meeting the needs of their specific community.’ Some CANs are making sure people are being fed or are helping children access educational material online, while others are helping small businesses stay open and Covid-safe so that families don’t lose their income.