President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that 20 people have now died from COVID-19 in South Africa.

Ramaphosa was speaking during an online Easter Friday liturgy led by Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.

The president says the world is in the grip of a pandemic which human beings have not seen for over 100 years.

“The coronavirus continues to spread, leaving devastation in its wake. More than a million people are infected and over 90,000 people in this world have lost their lives.  In South Africa, nearly 2,000 people have become infected with the virus and 20 have tragically lost their lives.”

On Thursday Ramaphosa extended the national lock down by an additional two weeks beyond the initial 21 days.

He says the Coronavirus crisis had worsened since he addressed the nation two weeks ago when he instituted the lockdown.

Ramaphosa has asked the country to make “greater sacrifices” to save thousands of lives.