Johannesburg – Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has commended South Africans for their role in curbing the spread of Covid-19 and said that these efforts had eased pressure on the healthcare system.
March 5 marks exactly one year since Mkhize confirmed the country’s first Covid-19 case.
Mkhize delivered an address at Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg where the country’s first Covid-19 patient was treated.
Churches, entertainment companies and sports organisations have all had to downscale since the first Covid-19 case was confirmed in South Africa.
Mkhize commended these and other sectors in society for adhering to lockdown regulations, saying that he understood that this came at a great financial cost.
“We want to say thank you to South African’s because these were the events that were identified as having the risk of being super-spreaders,” said Mkhize.
He said the government would maintain the fight against Covid-19-related corruption.
“We also have had to deal with issues and allegations of corruption associated with PPEs and we want to say that we will continue our commitment to fight against those kinds of irregularities.”
In the meantime, the minister has welcomed an SIU probe into reports that a family friend and a former secretary scored millions of rands in tender contracts from his department.
