South Africa's Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said the country's risk of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic still "remains".

He told a virtual media briefing that containment measures must continue to be imposed.

The minister said the country is yet to breach its hospital bed capacity even after cases surged to over half a million over the weekend.

South Africa has been the hardest-hit in the continent and ranks fifth in the world in the number of confirmed cases.

Mr Mkhize has also ordered an investigation into media reports of healthcare workers lacking protective gear.

He said in a tweet:

We have even received reports that some may be dying after being infected due to the lack of sufficient PPE or due to sufficient PPE not be provided and/ or failure or neglect by management to adhere to prescribed workplace safety protocols.#HealthUpdate

— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) August 5, 2020