Emalahleni Local Municipality mayor Linah Malatjie and Newcastle Local Municipality mayor Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba. (Supplied)
- The mayors of the Emalahleni and Newcastle local municipalities have tested positive for Covid-19.
- Both are currently in self-isolation.
- Statistics released on Thursday show 13 172 new Covid-19 cases have been reported in South Africa in the last day.
Emalahleni Local Municipality mayor Linah Malatjie and Newcastle Local Municipality mayor Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba both tested positive for Covid-19 this week, their offices have confirmed.
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Malatjie and Mahlaba have each gone into self-isolation after receiving their test results.
Malatjie said in a statement she went for testing on Wednesday after “assessing that I got exposed on one or two occasions”.
“I took that decision as a necessary precaution to protect members of the public who frequent my office, colleagues and municipal employees in general,” she said.
On Thursday, she confirmed to have tested positive.
“Accordingly, I’m already following Covid-19 protocol management and doctors’ instructions whilst in self-isolation,” she said.
According to the most recent statistics released by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on Thursday, Mpumalanga accounted for 1.7% of infections, or 5 572, of the 324 221 infections countrywide.
Virtual meetings
An additional 216 deaths have been recorded, with the death toll now at 4 669.
Malatjie said the local municipality had been conducting virtual meetings already over the last few weeks.
She assured the public that “council’s work will proceed as planned”, while all municipal services would resume on Monday.
“I will be failing in my civic duties as the first citizen of ELM [Emalahleni Local Municipality] if I don’t urge, warn and appeal to all our citizens that Covid-19 is real and dangerous,” she said.
She urged people to stay home, saying “voluntary risk level 5 is the way to go”.
Mahlaba this week also confirmed he was in self-isolation as he had contracted Covid-19. This after coming into contact with someone who had tested positive.
On Wednesday, his office said in a statement he would continue his work via virtual platforms.
At the time, he was said to be in good health and not yet displaying any symptoms.
Five municipal employees who had also contracted the coronavirus were in self-isolation at that time, and four units had been closed to allow for decontamination.
KwaZulu-Natal accounts for 35 604 of the country’s infections, or 11%.
This is the fourth highest number of infections in the country, behind Gauteng, the Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
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