On March 5, 2020, the Minister of Health in the South African government announced that it had found the first case of coronavirus in a patient.
President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national disaster in response to the first case of confirmed COVID-19 in South Africa.
It was a patient who returned from Italy with his wife and eight other people. The patient reported symptoms to a private general practitioner two days after.
On March 7, the COVID-19 virus gained another case. On March 12, 3 cases were confirmed in the Western Cape Province. More cases were reported on the 13th and so it eventually totalled 16 total cases in South Africa.
On March 23, the president addressed the country and issued a national lockdown. This lockdown was scheduled to last for 21 days and end on the 16th of April.
He dispatched the South African National Defence Force to enforce the order. He was desperately trying to step in, but things were becoming terrible in the country.
