Surviving the Death that Surrounds
A woman who had been abandoned came to Diepkloof Hospice. Rachel Mabena was shocked. "Maggots coming out of the orifices... They were on the face... That day I could not sleep." (VOA / D.Taylor)
"I feel sorry for all of you that do mundane jobs," said psychologist Cameron Hogg, who calls palliative care "... the most energizing work that's humanly possible." (VOA / D.Taylor)
The caregivers feel isolated from society. "They're afraid of us 'people of death'," says Snowy Nkoana. "They can't speak about death ...because it's taboo. So we are taboo." (VOA / D.Taylor)
Duduzile Tlhapane remembers a patient. “I learned so much from her. Whenever I feel weak in life, I think of her. She was a privilege. She made me believe in God.” (VOA / D.Taylor)
"In the past, I did question the right I have to be with people who are dying," said Rian Venter. "...I was almost fearful of it." He helped a doctor prepare for a patient down the hall. (VOA / D.Taylor)