South Africa confirms first case of coronavirus, according to Health ministry.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that the coronavirus will turn into a “national crisis” and its impact will be “huge“.

His warning came after the first case of the coronavirus was detected in South Africa.
The patient is a 38-year-old man who recently visited Italy together with his wife.

This brings to 27 the number of coronavirus cases reported on African continent. Algeria is worst-affected, with 17 cases, 16 of them in the same family. 

The South African couple, who have two children, were part of a group of 10 who returned from Italy on 1 March, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said.

The man and the doctor who first treated him were both in self-isolation in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, he added. 

A tracer team had been sent to KwaZulu-Natal to identify people who might have been in contact with the man and the doctor, Dr Mkhize said.