President Cyril Ramaphosa is not likely to get coronavirus after a recent meeting with South Africa’s political leadership, his office have stated on Sunday evening.
"We await the results of his [Meshoe's] test," says Mthembu. @KhuselaS says to allay fears the President is in good health. Mthembu says, "So far there are no symptoms from the President." He adds that is the President or "any of us" show symptoms "we will not hesitate" to test.
— Erin Bates (@ermbates) March 22, 2020
How Cyril Ramaphosa *might* have been exposed to coronavirus
The leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) Kenneth Meshoe has revealed that he attended a religious gathering earlier this month – where five tourists who contracted coronavirus also turned up. This news comes just days after Meshoe had met Cyril Ramaphosa, and 12 other political leaders whose parties are represented in Parliament, to discuss the best ways of tackling coronavirus.
However, the communal meeting which saw South Africa’s elected officials put their differences aside to work together could have had the potential to expose the president and his colleagues to the deadly disease. Meshoe may be asymptomatic, but fellow ACDP member and serving MP Steve Swart (who also attended the praise event in Bloemfontein) is showing signs of COVID-19 and self-isolating at home.
Presidential statement puts fears to one side
But there is no cause for concerns as far as “all the president’s men and women” are concerned: In a statement issued recently, Ramaphosa’s team are confident he has had no contact with a COVID-19 carrier:
“The presidency welcomes Rev. Meshoe’s adherence to the testing protocol and we wish him well as he awaits his results. President Cyril Ramaphosa is in good health himself and is observing those same protocols as stringently as he can while performing his duties”
“At this point in time, there is no cause for concern over the president’s health. Nor is there any reason for him to be tested. To the best of his knowledge, no-one the president has recently had contact – including Kenneth Meshoe – has coronavirus symptoms or tested positive for the disease.”
Statement from the presidency’s office
- You can read the full statement here:
Source: The South African Read More#CoronavirusInSA | The Presidency says it welcomes the announcement by the leader of the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Kenneth Meshoe, that he has been tested for the coronavirus, COVID-19.READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW: pic.twitter.com/AramfqH0Uu
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) March 22, 2020
