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Stay with one wife: Polygamists urged to avoid spreading Covid-19

Mpumalanga social development MEC Thandi Shongwe with members of the Nelspruit ECG church with the food donated by the church. /MANDLA KHOZA
Mpumalanga social development MEC Thandi Shongwe with members of the Nelspruit ECG church with the food donated by the church. /MANDLA KHOZA

Mpumalanga MEC for social development Thandi Shongwe has warned men who have married more than one wife to stay put in one house to avoid spreading the coronavirus during the lockdown period.

Speaking during the acceptance of food parcels from the Nelspruit branch of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church yesterday, Shongwe said men in polygamous marriages should ensure that they stay in one house to avoid the risk of infecting another wife with the deadly Covid-19.

She urged everyone to adhere to the lockdown regulations set out by the government.

"As part of the warning, men who have more than one wife must stay at one home and stop moving around because they might take the virus from one house to the other," Shongwe said.

"People must stay at home and adhere to the lockdown regulations. They must not keep moving around and spread the virus. This coronavirus will pass and people must know that."

The MEC thanked the ECG for the donation, saying the gesture would benefit the needy in the province.

She said they were getting over 2,000 calls a day from people who neeed food parcels.

"We are grateful to the church for the food which we will deliver to the needy. We are overwhelmed by calls from people seeking food relief, because of that we have five numbers [for the call centre] for those who need food. We also thank Telkom for providing us with the new four additiona [contact numbers for call centre]."

Shongwe called on people who do not need food parcels not to call the call centre. She reminded people to stay at home and wash hands regularly.

Leader of the Nelspruit branch of ECG, Richard Wills, said their church saw it necessary to come forward and donate whatever they had to the needy during the lockdown period.

"The word of God says no one is too rich to not give and that no one is too poor to give, hence we have sat down as a church and came to the decision that we donate the little that we have.

"We hope it will bring a smile to the people who will receive it," said Wills.

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