President Cyril Ramaphosa was due to meet religious leaders on Thursday to reinforce the national response to Covid-19, his office said.

The meeting in the capital Pretoria comes a day after similar discussions with the heads of political parties, at which they offered rare support for his government's efforts to combat the coronavirus which has spread rapidly around the world, with 116 South Africans now affected.

The Presidency said the upcoming consultations with faith leaders was part of a series of meetings Ramaphosa was undertaking across various sectors of society "to ensure that the national effort to combat and contain the virus is inclusive and enjoys the support of all stakeholder groups".

"Religious leaders have previously expressed support for President Ramaphosa’s championing of social compacts in which various sectors of society and government work together to develop solutions to challenges facing the nation," it added.

The latest update from the World Health Organisation dated Wednesday said there were now 191 127 confirmed cases around the world of Covid-19, which was first detected in China last December.

More than 7 800 people have lost their lives from the disease, whose common symptoms include fever, tiredness and a dry cough.