Forgive me, but I don’t think I’m alone in being a bit all over the place mentally at the moment. So far, two of my colleagues have been diagnosed positive for COVID-19 and have fortunately recovered. I myself have tested negative which is obviously, albeit ironically, a positive thing, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m going to catch it sooner or later. I guess all I can do is follow proper hygienic measures – wearing a face mask, hand washing and sanitising several times a day, etc.
I have a mantra that raw statistics never lie, but they are susceptible to not telling the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. They can generally be manipulated in any way that suits your particular agenda. Just listen to Donald Trump saying the only reason the USA has the highest COVID-19 positivity rate in the world (6+ million positive tests and 185+ thousand deaths versus only about 4% of the world’s population) is because they’re (I paraphrase) “testing too much – I told my people to slow down the testing.” South Africa has fared relatively better in terms of the death rate (around 628 000 cases with 14 000 deaths) but is still the biggest sufferer on the African continent, and at last check had the fifth most cases in the world.
Racial and female equality – the time is now
Speaking of the USA, the country is practically on fire, with mass protests erupting across the country, and violence, vigilantism and government suppression following suit. Following the progression as I have been, it’s notable that African American women have been leading the charge for change. Whichever side of the political aisle you lean towards, there’s no denying that people, whether or not you agree with them, will only stick their necks out in such a manner if they truly believe it’s for a worthy cause.
The same goes for South African women, whatever their skin colour. On a personal note, my family lost our matriarch; my grandmother (or ‘Lool’ as we called her) passed away early during the lockdown period, but my mother has continued to be a pillar of strength – and, well, she’s my Mom, enough said.
With August marking International Women’s Month, we‘ve featured some inspirational stories about several women in our feature. Of course, it’s impossible to cover everyone’s story, but it goes without saying that there are many women, of many races, without whom most of the companies, even in this traditionally male dominated electronic engineering industry, simply could not survive.
Happy Women’s month!
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