Last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.
This after he was in attendance at the state funeral service for former president FW de Klerk on Sunday morning, while also having travelled to other African countries last week to meet with dignitaries.
PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
President @CyrilRamaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the viral infection today, Sunday, 12 December 2021.
— #SONA2024 | Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) December 12, 2021
As such, the office of the presidency is advising that anyone who came into contact with Ramaphosa in recent days to take precautions and isolate if necessary.
As for what this means for the country, Deputy President David Mabuza will be assuming acting duties while Ramaphosa looks to recover from his infection, although the precise nature of his symptoms have not been disclosed, so it remains to be seen how long his absence will be.
“The President, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week,” confirmed the office of the presidency in a press statement.
“The President is in good spirits but is being monitored by the South African Military Health Service of the South African National Defence Force. The President, who is fully vaccinated, is in self-isolation in Cape Town and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy President David Mabuza for the next week,” added Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele.
For now, it remains to be seen what official duties Mabuza will be taking up, with many South Africans hoping that there would be a family meeting this week to provide updates on COVID-19 in South Africa and any potential impact as far as lockdown regulations and vaccination mandates are concerned.
Given that we are at a critical juncture in fighting the spread of the virus with a fourth wave on our door step and festive season upon us, the presidency will need to provide citizens with crucial information at these uncertain times.
[Image – CC BY-ND 2.0 GovernmentZA on Flickr]
