Provincial health department spokesperson, Mondli Mvambi, confirms the guests have all tested negative for COVID-19 and have, as of Thursday night, travelled back to their home countries. The guests came to national prominence after testing positive for the virus on the back of a two-day church gathering attended by hundreds of guests at Divine Restoration Ministeries in Bloemfontein. Reverend Kenneth Meshoe and Evangelist, Angus Buchan, also attended the event and later tested positive for COVID-19. Mvambi tells OFM News’ Olebogeng Motse, the guests all vacated the Woodlands hotel they were quarantined at on Wednesday.

According to the department the Israeli couple hired a car from a local rental company and were accompanied by Free State traffic officials to the Gauteng border, where authorities in that province took over and accompanied them to the O.R Tambo International Airport on Wednesday. The French embassy on the other end arranged for their citizen to take a bus from Bloemfontein to the airport. They flew out on Wednesday. The Americans were transported by the Department of Health from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg. Their consulate arranged accommodation for them in Sandton on Wednesday night and they were shuttled, by the consulate, to the OR Tambo International airport to fly out to Washington on Thursday.

Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, recently announced that the spike of Covid-19 cases in the province, which now sit at 93 cases, has been linked to the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast held at the Divine Restoration Ministries in Bloemfontein. Three more Bloemfontein churches were affected after their respective pastors tested positive for the virus. These church leaders attended the aforementioned event as well.

OFM News reported earlier that Mkhize – while addressing the nation on Covid-19 - flagged Mangaung, which includes Bloemfontein, as well as Sandton in Johannesburg, as potential epicentres of the virus in South Africa. He recently also announced that three doctors, one nurse and a neurophysicist in the Free State are among some of those who tested positive for the coronavirus.

So far three provinces which include North West, Northern Cape and Gauteng have confirmed positive cases, which have been traced back to the Bloemfontein church gathering.

OFM News/Lucky Nkuyane and Olebogeng Motse