Mkhize and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Tuesday briefed members of the National Council of Province (NCOP) on efforts to manage the pandemic.

The ministers told the NCOP that easing the lockdown was necessary despite the increase in infections.

Mkhize said that South Africa has conducted over 600,000 COVID-19 tests.

He said that the country had also managed to screen over 13 million people and had managed to identify 44,000 contacts.

But Mkhize warned that they could soon run into problems as the country ramped up its testing and tracing regime.

Mkhize has also given a provincial breakdown of testing, saying that the Western Cape had the highest ratio of positive results.

Eyewitness News