Up until now, all 16 other confirmed cases in South Africa were recorded after people returned from overseas from either European countries such as Italy or the United States of America.

Health Minister, Zweli Mkhize, announced today that a 32-year-old man from the Free State came into contact with a businessman who returned from abroad. Mkhize this morning, Thursday 12 March 2020, confirmed four new cases.

Mkhize says apart from the Free State case, there is one new case in KwaZulu-Natal, the first case in Mpumalanga, and another in Gauteng.

He says at this stage all patients are in self-quarantine. He further says they have mild to moderate symptoms. They are also on symptomatic treatment. “Our tracing teams are now making a list and have started contacting individuals who have been identified as these patients' contacts.”

This is a developing story.

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