By Fakir Hassen
A ten-fold spike in demand for pineapples and livestreaming of feeding time at a crocodile farm are some of the more unusual things in South Africa during the COVID-19 national lockdown.
Daily sales of pineapples have rocketed from an average of 10,000 to almost 100,000 as enterprising people use the spiky fruit to brew their own beer while they are obliged to remain in their homes.
Alcohol sales have been prohibited since the national lockdown, which is now about to enter its second month and is expected to continue for several more months at differentiated national, provincial and local levels.
Brewers said that in the correct proportions, a mixture of the spiky fruit, sugar and yeast will produce a drink with an alcoholic kick.
Prices of pineapples as well as availability in the marketplace have reacted proportionally to the demand, with the scarcity causing the fruit which could be bought for as little as R5 a piece before the lockdown now costing up to R20.
But there has also been some relief for lovers of potatoes and avocados, with prices having dropped substantially as the demand for these fell because all restaurants have been closed during the lockdown.
Potatoes are usually used extensively for the chips sold at thousands of takeaway shops around the country and avocados by sushi restaurants in more upmarket areas.
Feeding at another level has taken an unusual turn as the Crocworld Conservation Centre in the coastal town of Scottburgh in KwaZulu-Natal took to the internet for the regular video talks and feedings that were extremely popular, especially with daily school group visits and overseas tourists before the lockdown forced its closure.
Now the Centre is hosting live video talks and animal feeds, which Crocworld manager Martin Rodrigues said was their contribution to bringing some ease to people forced to remain in their homes during the lockdown.
Besides the crocodiles that are reared at the farm, the live feeds include educational talks on the rare snakes and birds on the premises.
Interest in the videos have sparked interest globally, especially for the live question-and-answer sessions at the end of each talk.
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