He attributed the increased number of cases to intense activity, including high Covid-19 testing.
Mkhize also expressed concern at the rising infections in the Eastern Cape, blaming irresponsible social behaviour and parties in the province.
“We will be going to the Eastern Cape and we will announce our intervention when we get there,” he said.
The concern comes days after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the government would introduce special health measures, crafted with the help of the World Health Organisation (WHO), to curb the spread of the pandemic in the Eastern Cape, which is at risk of a second wave of Covid-19 infections.
Just before Ramaphosa started his address, news broke that Eastern Cape’s former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani, who had been admitted to ICU with Covid-19 three weeks ago, had died.
“The evidence suggests that the increases in the Eastern Cape could have been triggered by outbreaks in institutions of higher learning, such as universities and in schools, and attendance by people at large gatherings,” said Ramaphosa.