On Friday, South Africa announced its first two deaths from the coronavirus as the country’s cases soared close to 1,000 and embarked on a three-week country lockdown began.

The announcement was made by the country’s health minister Dr Zwelini Mkhize through a public statement.

According to the statement, the deaths occurred in Western Cape Province, home to the country’s capital, Cape Town.

In the same statement, the health minister said, "We will give more details later on when we announce the latest confirmed COVID-19 cases, which have increased from yesterday’s numbers.”

So far, South Africa has reported the most cases in Africa, with the total positive cases across the continent now at 2,412.

Globally, the pandemic has claimed over 24,000 lives and infected more than 540,000 according to latest statistics from World Health Organisation.