The ANC's Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) co-ordinator, Hlomani Chauke, says the party learned with shock of the hospital admission of the premier, Job Mokgoro, due to complications. 

This is in contradiction to the earlier statement made by the office of the 72-year-old premier, who stated that he only had a cough as a symptom of the virus. Due to his age he is in a high risk category. His spokesperson, Vuyisile Ngesi, told OFM News that Mokgoro "decided to go into quarantine at a medical facility due to the traffic of people wanting to come in and out of the official residence".

Chauke says the ANC in the province wishes the premier, and some members of the Executive Council (Exco), who are also in quarantine, well.

Chauke revealed that some of the MECs in the province had contracted the virus, which has so far killed over 36 residents, including the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Gordon Kegakilwe.

MEC for Public Works and Roads, Saliva Molapisa, was also confirmed positive for the virus on Monday, alongside Mokgoro.

"We all know that we are currently confronted with the scourge of Covid-19," Chauke adds. He has made a call to residents in the province to adhere to social distancing, the sanitisation of hands, and staying at their homes.

Meanwhile, the provincial government is today expected to release a statement on the funeral arrangements of Kegakilwe, who died at a Klerksdorp Hospital from cardiac arrest due to Covid-19 complications.

On Tuesday the office of Mokgoro stated that Exco wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa, requesting an official funeral category 1 for MEC Kegakilwe.

The funeral request has been made in line with Government’s Funerals Policy as well as the Covid-19 guidelines that regulate how funerals are conducted during the lockdown.

 OFM News