ACDP leader expects virus results today
AFRICAN Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) leader the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, his wife Lydia and ACDP MP Steve Swart have all been tested for the coronavirus and are awaiting their results today, the party’s deputy president, Wayne Thring, said yesterday.
The trio attended the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast at the Divine Ministries in Ribblesdale, Bloemfontein, in the Free State, after which five international guests tested positive for the virus.
Meshoe announced via his Twitter account that he had been tested for the virus following the gathering, which took place before President Cyril
Ramaphosa banned gatherings of more than 100 people on March 15.
Of the five international guests that Meshoe, his wife and Swart had come into contact with at the religious gathering, two were from the US, another two were from Israel and one was from France.
The five international guests had arrived in South Africa between March 9 and 11 to attend the religious gathering which had 200 people in attendance.
Yesterday, Thring told Independent Media that Meshoe had gone into self-isolation on Sunday. He was in fine spirits and in good health as he awaited the test results.
“I chatted to him (Meshoe) this morning (yesterday) and he is still in high spirits; he’s not sickly and so we are thankful that his health is still in good condition.
“He is in self-isolation and he’s indicated that after it was mentioned that he had been in contact with those visitors from overseas who tested positive for the virus he had gone into self-containment,” Thring added.
Thring indicated that he was unaware whether the rest of Meshoe’s family had undergone testing for the virus, but added that he was convinced that if Meshoe was in contact with other family members following the religious gathering he would “do the right thing as a family man”.
Speaking about the lockdown which begins at midnight, Thring said: “The lockdown is welcomed because the ACDP would not like to see any fatalities and any measure to ensure that there are no fatalities and to reduce the Covid-19 virus are welcome.”
But he said that they were concerned that the lockdown would have an adverse effect on the country’s fragile economy, which was on the brink of a possible downgrade from ratings agency Moody’s that would lead to further economic consequences.