BREAKING | SA's second Covid-19 death confirmed as cases climb to 1,280

A 74-year-old man from Ladysmith has been confirmed the second person to die from Covid-19 in SA.

The health department released the news of the man's death on Sunday night as it announced that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases had climbed to 1,280.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said in a statement that the 74-year-old had been on a ventilator at a private hospital in the central KwaZulu-Natal town.

"He had travelled to Kruger National Park with his family and came back with flu-like symptoms. He was confirmed Covid-19 positive on March 27 2020," said Mkhize.

He said the man had an "underlying skin cancer condition (melanoma), which had already complicated".

"He presented with the following symptoms: respiratory distress, shortness of breath, cardiac failure, decreased saturation and his temperature was above 38 degrees," said Mkhize.

The man's family and 14 health workers - including three specialist doctors - who were in contact with him were in quarantined and being monitored.

Meanwhile, Mkhize also confirmed that the number of Covid-19 cases in SA had increased by 93 since Saturday's figures were released.

Of those 584 were in Gauteng, 310 in the Western Cape, 167 in KZN and 72 in the Free State. There were also 100 "unallocated" cases.