In Our Own Words - Nurses On The Front Line

Loading player...
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with CapeTalk 567.

Host of the CapeTalk Afternoon Drive show chats with Author, Siedine Coetzee, and Nurse, Roseanne Turner regarding their experiences as nurses on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our nurses have witnessed the pandemic first hand, compassionately caring for patients amid war-like circumstances.

The havoc caused by the pandemic highlighted existing fault lines in the South African health system, and nurses faced shortages of staff and vital life-saving equipment. Colleagues tested positive and died. Visitors were not allowed, so nurses had to be intermediaries between patients and desperate family trying to glean information on the phone. Despite these pressures, they remained at the forefront of the fight against the deadly virus.

This book brings together deeply personal stories of caring for patients in wards and ICU, of feeling overwhelmed, and experiencing the fear of getting infected and passing Covid on to their families. There are also moving tales of personal growth and finding renewed purpose. In Our Own Words shows the extreme resilience of nurses – even in the face of adversity. And that at the core of a ‘true’ nurse remains the commitment to the patient.
19 Sep 2022 English South Africa Books · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

Where to From Here? by Tara Roos (with Twanji Kalula)

In this episode of Pagecast, political analyst Tara Roos joins Twanji Kalula for a sharp, no-nonsense conversation about her new book, Where to From Here?, and what it reveals about the state of South African politics. Roos argues that South Africa has entered an age of uncertainty, as populism rises…
29 Jun 36 min

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng (with Mphuthumi Ntabeni)

In this episode of Pagecast, Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author Tan Twan Eng joins Cape Town-based political commentator and writer Mphuthumi Ntabeni for a conversation about his latest novel, The House of Doors. Set in 1921 at Cassowary House in the Straits Settlements of Penang, the novel follows Robert Hamlyn, a…
22 Jun 29 min

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids (with Gabeba Baderoon)

In this episode of Pagecast, South African playwright and novelist Nadia Davids joins renowned poet and scholar Gabeba Baderoon for a conversation about her latest novel, Cape Fever. Cape Fever follows Soraya Matas, a young maid who takes up a position in the beautiful, decaying home of the eccentric Mrs…
15 Jun 40 min

Pagecast at Kingsmead Book Fair: Mandy Weiner

Pagecast recorded live at the Kingsmead Book Fair, where Mandy Weiner sat down with Shakti Pillay from Jonathan Ball Publishers to talk about her latest book, The Deal. In this episode, Mandy pulls back the curtain on the story behind the book -- the kind of deep, forensic storytelling that…
9 Jun 6 min

Pagecast at Kingsmead Book Fair: Nozipho Tshabalala

Pagecast recorded live at the Kingsmead Book Fair, where Nozipho Tshabalala sat down with Mpumi Mgidlana from Jonathan Ball Publishers to talk about her memoir, After the Fires: Unlocking the Power of Letting Go. In this episode, Nozipho reflects on the question at the heart of her book: when the…
8 Jun 16 min