Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the country on Sunday evening at 8pm after a media briefing showed that the Delta variant was spreading fast in some provinces.
A special National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) convened today, to receive a report from the scientists on the prevalence of the Delta variant in South Africa.
Acting Health Minister, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane subsequently briefed the media about this variant earlier on Saturday.
The Delta variant was first detected in India and was now circulating widely in many countries. During the briefing, the scientists showed how the variant is gripping the country.
Health experts, Professors Tulio de Oliveira and Richard Lessells, said the Delta variant – first detected in India in October 2020 – was spreading faster.
“The delta variant it is a variant that caused damage in India. It is dominating infections in South Africa,” De Oliveira said.
He said the variant was now dominating infections in South Africa.
As the result of these developments, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) will convene this afternoon to propose recommendations on the country’s response to both the Delta variant and the continued surge in Covid-19 infections.
The NCCC will convene again tomorrow, 27 June, to process the NATJOINTS Report.
This will be followed by, the Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) which includes premiers, executive mayors and representatives of traditional leaderships.
A special Cabinet meeting will take place to process the recommendations from the NATJOINTS.
The president will address the nation at 8pm on Sunday, June 27.
Therefore, the scheduled ministerial media briefing that was scheduled to take place on Sunday, 27 June 2021 has been cancelled.