Soweto-born dancer and socialite Zodwa Wabantu has opened up about losing a family member to Covid-19.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the “Zodwa Wabatu: Uncensored” star shared the pain of losing her aunt in a heart-wrenching Instagram post.
In the short video clip shared on social media, the star is seen lying in bed as she weeps uncontrollably following the shocking news of her aunt’s passing. She confirmed the devastating news, also cautioning her 1,4 million followers that the coronavirus is “real”.
She wrote:“My Aunt has Passed Away,😭😭😭 Today you are Happy, tomorrow you are Sad😢 Alive today and Tomorrow you are Dead🙏🏽 COVID19 is Real.”
Fans and industry friends flooded Zodwa’s timeline with messages of love and support.
“My condolences 💐, My loves ❤️,” commented reality TV star and YouTube sensation Lasizwe Dambuza.
“Eish I'm so sorry for your loss skeem 🙏❤️” said media personality and property mogul TTMbha.
“Sending you love, Zee!!! 🤗” wrote radio and TV personality DJ Fresh.
“My condolences to you and the family my lady 💔 @zodwalibram,” commented actress and musician Candy Tsamandebele.
“So sorry for your loss. Condolences to you and your family. Molimo a be le lona (May God be with you and your family during these trying times), “ added radio and TV personality MoFlava.
This comes just a week after the multi-award winning singer Nathi Mankayi shared that he had lost both his parents to Covid-19 complications. His parents passed away a week apart from each other.
“....I lost my dearest mother and father in a matter of days and experienced the darkest days of my life. I felt and still feel pain in ways that I cannot put into words. With that said, today I celebrate my first birthday without them in my life.
“Today I dedicate my birthday day to celebrate them! Lalani ngoxolo (Rest in Peace mom and dad) mama no tata,” tweeted Mankayi on December 23.
Though at the time, the star did not reveal the cause of his parent’s death, he later spoke to City Press about his loss, also warning people about the real danger of the Covid-19.
"It is really strong and people should take care of themselves in these times it is dangerous and it is here. It's a terrible thing to see someone was full of life sick and then dying from this Covid 19," he told the publication.
In the past few months, Kaya FM presenter and Idols SA judge Unathi revealed on social media that she has lost multiple family members to the coronavirus.
In a video clip posted in July, she said: “Last week Monday, I lost an uncle and an aunt ( brother and sister). My aunt passed away at 4pm, my uncle passed away at 7pm due to Covid-19.
“This morning we got a call that we lost another uncle,” she said.
Nkayi also sent a powerful message to those who are not adhering to of Covid-19 safety regulations.
As the second wave of the coronavirus continues the to devastate the globe, peeps are urged to wear their masks, keep social distance and wash or sanitise their hands as often as possible.