Paul Nyathi

South African Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu on Monday disclosed that President Cyril Ramaphosa was ‘too sick’ to report for duty.

The head of state missed a key meeting with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), who had asked to discuss their demands for worker safety and salary guarantees.

Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, Mthembu said that the president was ‘in the blankets’, inferring that Ramaphosa wasn’t just phoning this one in for a ‘sickie’. We’ve all done it on a Monday, Cyril…

Mthembu played down the suggestions that this was a particularly debilitating illness – and believes that President Ramaphosa would be able to meet with Nehawu again later this week, predicting that he’d be fine by Wednesday.

Mthembu assured the nationa that this was not linked to any sort of COVID-19 diagnosis.

Ramaphosa acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale added that the president is recovering from a common cold.

Seale was responding to questions about Ramaphosa’s health after Mthembu told journalists at the Union Buildings in Pretoria that Ramaphosa couldn’t meet the National Education‚ Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) because he was “really sick” and under the blankets.

Source: News Agencies