"Prince Buthelezi is one of the long-serving Members of Parliament since the establishment of our democratic Parliament in 1994, and continues to serve as a reservoir of wisdom and experience for the institution," Modise and Masondo said in a statement on Saturday.

“We are pleased to learn that he remains in high spirits, and we are confident he will defeat this disease. We urge South Africans to keep him and many others infected or affected by this virus in our prayers,” they said.

The presiding officers also encouraged South Africans to remain steadfast in combatting the spread of Covid-19 and continue to comply with all the regulations and safety protocols.

Earlier on Saturday, Buthelezi's family confirmed he had tested positive for the virus, but remains in good spirits.

"We, the family of prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, founder and president emeritus of the IFP, inkosi of the Buthelezi clan, and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation, wish to advise that uMntwana wa KwaPhindangene has tested positive for Covid-19," the family said in a statement.

Earlier this week he was informed that he had been in contact with a Covid-19 positive case, and he thus took the precautionary measure of being tested, despite displaying no symptoms himself. As required, he was now self-isolating at home for the mandatory period.

"At this point, we are pleased to say that he remains asymptomatic and is in good spirits. As a family we have put in place a capable team to keep watch over the situation. Please rest assured that we will keep you informed of his progress and will advise when he is back in office. During this period of self-isolation, members of the media are kindly requested to respect our space.

"We are aware that many families have journeyed this road of infection and the overwhelming majority have emerged to full recovery. We therefore thank you for your prayers as we await a good outcome," the family statement said.

African News Agency