Chairperson of the COVID-19 ministerial advisory committee, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, says the tests will be available to the public soon.

"Some of them are laboratory-based tests and others are clinic-based tests. We do not have any home-testing that we are looking at - it is only facility-based," said Karim.

Several doctors have described the tests as a possible "missing weapon" in the fight against the virus.

The number of COVID-19 cases in South Africa has risen to 250,687.

According to the Department of Health, 2,057,232 tests have been conducted.

eNCA