As announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in South Africa is 12 074," health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday after the president's televised addressed to the nation. 

Of the 724 new cases within a 24-hour period, 608 cases were recorded in the Western Cape, which has raised concerns as the case numbers increase at a rapid rate compared with other provinces. 

The total number of confirmed cases in that province is 6 713, followed by Gauteng with 2 074, the Eastern Cape with 1 534, KwaZulu-Natal with 1 413 and then Free State which only has 138 confirmed Covid-19 infections. 

Mpumalanga, with 66, Limpopo (54), North West with 52 and Northern Cape with 30 have consistently reported low infection rates.  

"A total of 386 352 tests have been conducted to date with 16,655 tests done in the last 24-hour cycle," Mkhize said in the statement. The public sector, with 51%, had tested marginally more than the private sector.

The number of deaths stands at 219, while the number of recoveries is 4 745.

Reported deaths and recoveries in the provinces are as follows: Eastern Cape 24 deaths and 632 recoveries; Free State 6 deaths and 107 recoveries; Gauteng 24 deaths and 1 343 recoveries, which is more than half the number of infections; KwaZulu-Natal has recorded 44 deaths and 618 recoveries; Limpopo, 3 deaths and 30 recoveries; North West has 1 death with 24 recoveries; Western Cape has 117 deaths and 1 950 recoveries; while both Mpumalanga (24 recoveries) and Northern Cape, with 17 recoveries, have not reported any deaths.