President Cyril Ramaphosa said that 20 people have so far died of the coronavirus in South Africa.
He made the statement during an online Easter Friday liturgy led by Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.
“We are in the grip of a pandemic that we have not seen as human beings for over 100 years. The coronavirus continues to spread, leaving devastation in its wake. More than a million people are infected and over 90,000 people in this world have lost their lives. In the rich countries of the north and the south, people have died in large numbers.
“In South Africa, nearly 2,000 people have become infected with the virus and 20 have tragically lost their lives.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa also used part of his Good Friday message to acknowledge the plight of those bearing the brunt of the national lockdown.
The president’s address comes a day after he announced a two-week extension of the national lockdown and says in light of this, South Africans should remember the greatest virtue of all, which is sacrifice.
“This is a time of great uncertainty for all of us. Many of us are anxious about our health and the health of our children, we worry about how we will make ends meet or fi we will have jobs to go back to.”
Ramaphosa said that the coronavirus was a cross that we were carrying and that Easter brought us hope, rebirth and recovery.