South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday that Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu has died of Covid-19. Mthembu was one of the government’s key leaders in its response to the pandemic and the public face during many Covid-19 press briefings. “It is with deep sorrow and shock that we announce that Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu passed away earlier today from COVID-related complications. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time of loss,” President Ramaphosa tweeted. On January 11 Mthembu tweeted that he had contracted Covid-19. “Today I visited the Military hospital in Tshwane to get medical attention for an abdominal pain. After undergoing some tests, I tested positive for Covid-19,” he said. Mthembu then thanked the South Africans who wished him a speedy recovery and said the country “must overcome Covid-19.” John Steenhuisen, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, which is the opposition party in South Africa, said he was “devastated” to learn about the minister’s passing.
SOURCE: CNN
More Stories
Inside the AAI Gala
Malian Basketballers Apologize for Brawl
Experts at the WTO Public Forum Talk Greening SMEs to Harness the Benefits of the AfCFTA
Dealing with Child Marriages on the Continent
Tighter Controls at Uganda’s Borders
The First Statue of an African Displayed in Trafalgar Square
Ramaphosa’s Opponents Want Him Impeached over a Growing Scandal
‘An Organized Attack on Freedoms by the Remnants of the Old Regime’ – Sudanese Lawyer
A Proposed Ban on the Deployment of Kenyan Domestic Workers to Saudi Arabia
Trial of Guinea’s Former President and Others Accused of the 2009 Stadium Massacre Begins
Essential Medical Supplies at Critically Low Levels in Ethiopia’s Conflict Zone
DRC Apes Kidnapped for Ransom