IFP founder and president emeritus Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has again tested positive for Covid-19, his family confirmed on Monday.
His first bout with the virus was in August last year.
Buthelezi is said to be relatively asymptomatic and is in good spirits.
“His only regret is being unable to attend the installation ceremony of the Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, as intended on Friday,” the family spokesperson, Dr Bhekuyise Ngqengelele Buthelezi, said in a statement.
The traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch has begun self-isolating at home for the mandatory period. His family said they were grateful to know that Buthelezi was double vaccinated and would be monitored by a capable team.
“During this period of self-isolation, members of the media are kindly requested to respect our space. Please rest assured that we will keep you informed of his return to work.
“Once again, we thank you for your prayers as we await a good outcome. We also urge everyone to be circumspect in this time of increasing infections and to vigilantly take the necessary precautions to protect both lives and livelihoods,” the family said.
The elder statesman helped the IFP to muster its recent local government feat.
The party snatched some municipalities, such as uPhongolo, from the ANC and forced the governing party to scramble to negotiate coalition partnerships with smaller parties to govern former strongholds such as eThekwini.
South Africa recorded 11,125 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Sunday, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
According to the institute, a total of 46,708 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors in the past 24 hours.
Gauteng remains the epicentre of Covid-19 infections with a reported 7,929 cases.
The Western Cape reported 807 cases, KwaZulu-Natal reported 687 cases, Mpumalanga reported 389 cases, Limpopo reported 372 cases, North West reported 441 cases, the Free State reported 259 cases, the Eastern Cape reported 192 cases, and the Northern Cape reported 49 cases.
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