He says the provincial health department is ready to accept and treat any patient referred to it. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced this morning that the total number of people with the virus in the country now stands at 17. He further confirmed that there is also a first case in Mpumalanga, a new case in KwaZulu-Natal and another in Gauteng.

Mkhize said the infected 32-year-old man from the Free State came into contact with a businessman who returned from abroad and this is the first case of local transmission, as all other patients have been travelling abroad. He said at this stage all patients are in self-quarantine.

He has, however, kept mum on where the first cases in the Free State and Mpumalanga were recorded. Meanwhile, Mvambi said the reason why the provincial department cannot rush to conduct media interviews despite announcements by the Minister, it is to ensure that everything is put in place.

OFM News