A health worker wearing protective equipment disinfects the isolation area for Ebola patients at the General Referral Hospital of Mongbwalu in Mongbwalu.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says Africa must urgently strengthen its health systems and pandemic preparedness, warning that recent Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda are a reminder that the continent cannot afford to be caught unprepared again.
In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa reflected on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it is easy to forget how deeply it affected South Africa, from loss of life to economic devastation.
“A little over four years have passed since South Africa emerged from the state of disaster that had been declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is easy to forget just how deeply the pandemic affected every aspect of our lives,” he said.
He noted that more than 100 000 South Africans died from COVID-19, while the country lost around two million jobs during the pandemic period.
