STAFF REPORTER
DAVID Makhura, Premier of Gauteng, Africa’s economic hub, has tested positive for COVID-19.
Makhura announced today that he had gone into self-isolation and was working from home.
“I am now in self-isolation, in line with WHO protocols and will work from home over the next 14 days whilst monitoring my health,” he said.
The Premier explained that he had mild symptoms on Wednesday and decided, as a precaution, to be tested. The Gauteng province with 63 404 infections has become the epicentre of COVID-19.
Makhura is the third provincial premier to test positive. The others are North West Premier Job Mokgoro, who tested positive and checked himself into hospital and Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape, who is in self-quarantine.
COVID-19 has also claimed the lives of senior politicians.
The first high profile COVID-19 casualty is Gordon Kegakilwe, the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Sanitation. The second victim is Ricardo Mthembu, the spokesperson of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, who passed away in hospital after a battle with COVID-19.
The Democratic Alliance’s Mayor of Langeberg, in the Western Cape, Henry Jansen also died of COVID-19. He had been in hospital for a week.
