Springbok World Cup Winning captain Siya Kolisi has made a heartfelt appeal to all South Africans to start taking the Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak seriously. Since midnight on Thursday, South Africa has been under a strict lockdown, but it has not been respected in all sectors.
Footage of people in the streets, directly ignoring the orders of the police and army, has been spread across social media. There appears to be a lack of understanding of the severity of the pandemic, coupled with the fact that a huge number of people live in crowded informal settlements or townships, meaning that staying at home is near impossible.
Kolisi has used his platform to share a message though, begging people to respect the orders of the president and heed the warnings that this is a very serious thing and generations could soon be wiped out if they are not careful.
"It's imperative that we educate one another and we work together," he said. "It's imperative that we listen to the police and the army when they tell us to stay home, and not fight them."
Kolisi has stressed that no matter your age or how healthy you are, the virus can strike you and your loved ones.
"You must also think about the people who immune systems are not strong; people that have other illnesses such as HIV and TB.
"Please let's all stay at home in your area, let's look after one another because this thing can kill off generations to come."
At time of writing, South Africa have over 1200 cases but have just gone under lockdown a few days ago.
This Sky News report from the first day of lockdown, shows just some the challenges that the country of 56 million people face.
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