Tiktok, Moonshine And Memes: South Africa Marks Five Years Since First Covid Lockdown

When these government-mandated lockdowns began, they were touted by President Cyril Ramaphosa as a 21-day precaution against the spread of the novel coronavirus. But it was only two years later, in April 2022, that the rules restricting freedom of movement were finally done away with.

Technology advanced rapidly in those two very long years, with the work-from-home phenomenon gaining traction alongside learning from home for children.

Shares of videoconferencing app company Zoom, which traded below US70/share at the start of 2020, surged to an all-all time high of 559 by October of that same year on the back of global lockdown restrictions. Microsoft, with its Teams app, quickly upped its game to take advantage of the rapid growth in teleconferencing.

With premium cigarettes and beverages in short supply, prices of what were considered to be cheap brands soared to premium rates, challenging traditional perceptions related to brand loyalty and class identity. People were seemingly willing to pay any price to get whatever was available.

Meanwhile, the rebellion against lockdown restrictions grew louder as the lockdowns stretched on with each passing Covid spike. Questions about the efficacy of Covid-19 restrictions sparked rampant speculation and fuelled conspiracy theories. The efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines also came under fire by a growing legion of anti-vaxxers.