If you were to be harassed and abused severely by a thug, then afterwards another tragedy befalls you and you hear the voice of the very same thug knocking at the door, alleging that they are here to help this time, would you happily jump and open the door without hesitating?

The answer is obvious. The fact that the nation is sceptical about some steps the government takes to help towards protecting them against Covid-19 should serve as a lesson on how much trust the people have lost in it.

The citizens have helplessly languished in poverty for years after the misuse of taxes, the looting of state resources and all sorts of corruption.

Today, the same government whose municipalities continue to show no mercy to its people to the extent of denying its citizens water, is knocking on the door posing as a good Samaritan this time. Who is fooling who? Trust is earned, not demanded.

Norman Mahlangu, Siyabuswa