Johannesburg - ACDP has confirmed that it's leader, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe and MP Steve Swart, have tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus.
The party confirmed in a statement on Friday that the test results for both men had tested positive. Meshoe and Swart were both present at the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast held in Bloemfontein by the Divine Restoration Ministries on March 10 and 11.
This is the same church conference that was highlighted by Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize earlier this week, where five foreign nationals who flew into the country to attend a conference and had tested positive for the virus.
Mkhize said the conference was attended by around 300 people. He has pleaded for everyone who had attended the conference to get tested.
Health officials and the Red Cross were working on tracing everyone who attended the conference.
The party's deputy president Wayne Thring said in a statement that Meshoe was unaware of the test results of the five international visitors and was only made aware of it on March 20.
"It must be mentioned that during this period, Rev Meshoe, who displayed no symptoms of the virus, was not aware of the health status of the visitors at the Prayer Breakfast (who had also passed through airport screenings), and hence attended the briefing of political party leaders, on 18 March, hosted by President Cyril Ramaphosa at Parliament.
"The ACDP President was only subsequently informed about the results of the visitors’ tests on 20 March. He immediately went into self containment and made himself available for testing, where he was tested by the Health Department on Sunday, 22 March. Mr Steve Swart, who had experienced mild flu-like symptoms had also self-isolated and had his test done on Monday 23 March," Thring said.
Thring said both men were self-isolating.
"The ACDP can, however, now confirm that both Rev Kenneth Meshoe and Mr Steve Swart have tested positive for the Coronavirus. Rev Meshoe displays no symptoms and remains in good health. Mr Swart, who has experienced mild flu-like symptoms, is recovering well. Both have been self-isolating, together with their close families.
"It is unfortunate that Rev Meshoe had to wait five days for the outcome of his test, and had to call the Health Department numerous times for the outcome," he said.
The Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize is expected to give an update on the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country. He said cases had risen to over 1000.
Two people have died in the Western Cape.
On Thursday, it was revealed that Evangelist pastor Angus Buchan has tested positive for the coronavirus. Buchan took to Instagram to break the news to his more than 27 000 followers.
South Africa has oover 1000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and two deaths in the Western Cape.