Mkhize launched a Covid-19 multi-sectoral advisory committee on Tuesday morning.

The committee is meant to advise on social and cultural factors that contribute to the spread of Covid-19, provide advice on social and cultural interventions and advise on the role of different sectors in civil societies in response to the pandemic.

Mkhize said this initiative is also meant to acknowledge the huge amount of work that has been done by health workers.

"From the point of primary health care setting to screening and testing of communities, bringing about awareness of the disease, our health workers have been fighting in the forefront and we want to pay tribute to them: Our laboratory teams testing the specimen. Those in the administration and in the regulatory authorities who have spent sleepless nights making sure that we provide [information]. Our hospitals, our clinicians, our nurses, our various other specialists and professionals. We want to pay tribute to all of them," Mkhize said.

He warned that South Africans now need to change their behaviour.

"The community takes over the partnership and begins to take over and lead the fight against the infection.

"This has to be on a grassroots movement where the change of behaviour is no longer an issue that people will do simply because there's a curfew but to change behaviour.”

He added: “The fight against Covid-19 is going to be won at a community level. It is going to be won in a house, in a taxi, in a bus, in a train, in a church, in a restaurant, in a factory, on the street, in every part of social life.

"This is where we must take his battle.”

Jacaranda FM