Anxious virus wait for Meshoe

ACDP leader kept in limbo after laboratory apologises for delay in test result, saying they have a glitch

AFRICAN Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) president Reverend Kenneth Meshoe is still waiting for his test results to establish whether he has the coronavirus (Covid-19) after coming into contact with infected people.

While attending the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast at Divine Ministries in Bloemfontein, Free State, this month, Meshoe came into contact with five international guests who later tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

He was tested on March 22, despite indicating that he did not have any symptoms associated with the virus.

The international guests had travelled into South Africa between March 9 and 11. Two had come from Israel, two from the US and one from France as they attended the religious event that had an estimated 200 attendees.

The event took place before President Cyril Ramaphosa had declared a national state of disaster and put a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people and the five guests tested positive for the virus six days after the event.

The ACDP said that the five had no knowledge of their Covid-19 status when they attended the event in Bloemfontein.

Meshoe’s deputy, Wayne Thring, said that Meshoe has continued with his self-isolation and was still keeping in fine spirits despite the anxious wait.

“He’s obviously as anxious as everybody is because we’ve heard that the president of the country got tested after him (Meshoe) and he’s got his results and he (Meshoe) was tested on Sunday but still doesn’t have his results,” Thring said.

Thring added that Meshoe was in contact with officials from the Department of Health who had tested him in an attempt to ascertain what the hold up with the issuing of his results was.

“They apologised for the delay and just said that they are having some glitch with their systems and they will get back to him soonest… so he’s also sitting now and waiting for his results as are all of us.

“Unfortunately, that’s where it’s at,” Thring said.

The Presidency yesterday announced that Ramaphosa had tested negative for the virus after he had subjected himself to testing at the advice of his physicians on Tuesday.

Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko said that Ramaphosa, as head of state and as chairperson of the National Command Council that has been set up to combat the spread of Covid-19, had engaged in a rigorous public schedule in which he had met with numerous people from all walks of life while also holding numerous meetings as part of the country’s effort to combat the spread of this virus.

“The president’s physicians felt therefore that it was important that the president undergoes this test as a precautionary measure and the presidency felt that it was necessary that his results are released in public in the face of the growing number of infections, not only amongst world leaders, but also across the continent,” Diko said.

Dr Lwazi Manzi, Department of Health spokesperson, said that she would not be able to comment on Meshoe’s results as they were the function of the laboratories and it was difficult to ascertain whether he had used a private lab or the National Institute for Communicable Diseases .

While the ACDP leader was part of the contingent of political party leaders who met the president during a gathering at Tuynhuys last week.

Meanwhile, evangelist Angus Buchan confirmed yesterday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Buchan took to Instagram to break the news to his more than 27 000 followers.