Pretoria, April 23, 2020.- Today, a special flight of South African Airways was loaded, with a valuable donation from South Africa to assist the fight against COVID-19 in Cuba, as part of the close cooperation and solidarity between the two countries.
The donation includes protection gear, materials and supplies for Cuban health facilities.
The donation loading operation was carried out by members of the South African National Defense Forces. General Lindile Yam, Chief of Staff of the South African Armed Forces, made a symbolic hand over of the donation to Cuban Ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in the city of Johannesburg.
In statements made by General Yam, he emphasized the ties of blood and brotherhood that characterize relations between Cuba and South Africa. He expressed that for the South African people and government what they send to Cuba is not a donation but a modest gesture of brotherhood, with which they try to reciprocate, at least to some extent, what Cuba does every day, sending doctors to save lives in the entire world.
The senior South African military thanked the Cuban government for its decision to respond positively to the request made by the President of South Africa, H.E.Cyril Ramaphosa, and to send an important Cuban Medical Brigade to assist in the containment of the Coronavirus. "Those Cuban doctors who will soon be with us will save the lives of many South Africans”, said General Yam.
For his part, the Cuban Ambassador thanked on behalf of the people and government of Cuba for the valuable gesture and called it a palpable demonstration of the special ties that unite Cuba and South Africa.
The same Airbus-340 that will take the donation to Cuba, will return to South Africa with a Medical Brigade of more than 200 Cuban health professionals, from the “Henry Reeve” Contingent, to assist South Africa's efforts to contain COVID-19.