Latter-day Saint Church Donates Vital Supplies for COVID-19 Fight to South Africa's Health Department

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to donate to governments across the world. In a briefing addressed by Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize and Elder S. Mark Palmer, President of the Africa Southeast Area, the Church donated vital medical equipment to medical workers to help them fight the pandemic.

The church donated 70,000 N-95 masks, 30,000 surgical masks, 50,000 coveralls, 3,420 packs of plastic aprons, 50,000 face shields, 1.5 million gloves, and 250 infrared thermometers to South Africa’s Health Department.

The combined value of the donation is worth around $1 million, which translates to 17.4 million rands in their local currency. Dr. Zweli Mkhize welcomed the donations as a positive gesture of partnership between South Africa and the Church.

“In our discussions with the Elders of the Church it was very clear that they’ve taken our fight against COVID-19 as a fight that they really have to be part of, and therefore have come on board to make a contribution, and they’ve made a generous contribution”, Mkhize said. “Elder Palmer, we want to really say, thank you for the partnership, and we really feel honored as well to call ourselves your partners.”

The country currently has the largest cases of COVID-19 in the African continent, with more than 35,000 cases and 700 deaths. The Health Minister said that the donation will equip frontline healthcare workers in the fight to combat the spread of the virus in the country.