President Hage Geingob yesterday sent a massage of sympathy to President Cyril Ramaphosa over coronavirus as South Africans marked the liberation of that neighbouring country and its people from a long period of colonialism and apartheid on Monday.
South Africa is the country worst affected by Covid-19 on the African continent with 4 546 coronavirus cases and 87 deaths reported so far.
“Just as our two countries and peoples have endured, persevered and ultimately defeated 300 years of colonial domination and the yoke of apartheid, I have no doubt that through resilience and the ingenuity of our people, nurtured by the spirit of Ubuntu, we will overcome this pandemic,” stated President Geingob yesterday. Geingob through the Presidential Press Secretary Alfredo Hengari stated, “your 26th Anniversary of Freedom comes against the backdrop of Covid-19, one of the greatest challenges facing humanity.” “I look forward to continuing working with you my dear brother, in order to further consolidate the bilateral cooperation and strong bonds of friendship and solidarity that continue to happily exist between our two countries and peoples,” Geingob added. “I extend to you and the courageous people of South Africa warm felicitations on the 26 Anniversary Freedom Day.”
South Africans marked Freedom Day since the dawn of democracy 26 years ago, but according to the media in that country, this year, there won’t be any traditional celebrations. According to the South African department of Sports, Arts and Culture, the day will be celebrated by using the internet to comply with social distancing and other measures that have been put in place. Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases in Africa rose to 29,053, according to an Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) website updated on Saturday.
The death toll stands at 1,331 and recoveries reached 8,364. North Africa remains the hardest-hit of the continent’s five regions, followed by West, Southern, East, and Central. The highest number of fatalities have also been recorded in North, West, and Southern Africa, with the lowest figures in Central and East Africa.
South Africa has 4,200 Covid-19 cases, Egypt has 4,100, Morocco 3,800, and Algeria has 3,100.
Algeria has the highest death toll of 415, followed by Egypt with 294, Morocco with 158, and South Africa with 87. In West Africa, Burkina Faso has the highest death toll of 41, followed by Nigeria with 32 and Niger with 24.
The country with the highest number of cases to population ratio is Djibouti while neighbouring Ethiopia has the lowest. Djibouti, which has less than a million people, has 999 cases and two deaths, while neighbouring Ethiopia, a country of 110 million, has 117 Covid-19 cases and three deaths so far. The novel coronavirus has spread to 185 countries and regions since emerging in China last December, with the US and Europe now the hardest-hit areas in the world.
More than 2.82 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll over 198 000 and recoveries over 796 000, according to data compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.