Today, we have reached a grim milestone as we breach the 20 000 mark for new cases identified in
24 hours. 21 832 cases have been identified since the last report, bringing the total cumulative COVID-19 cases in South Africa to 1 149 591.
| Province | Total cases for 06 January 2021 | Percentage total |
| Eastern Cape | 175941 | 15,3 |
| Free State | 64409 | 5,6 |
| Gauteng | 310201 | 27,0 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 230283 | 20,0 |
| Limpopo | 30840 | 2,7 |
| Mpumalanga | 40751 | 3,5 |
| North West | 43159 | 3,8 |
| Northern Cape | 26353 | 2,3 |
| Western Cape | 227654 | 19,8 |
| Unknown | 0 | 0,0 |
| Total | 1149591 | 100,0 |
A cumulative total of 6 898 207 tests have been conducted with 70 060 tests conducted since the last report.
| Sector | Total tested | New tested | ||
| PRIVATE | 4 002 198 | 58% | 43 875 | 63% |
| PUBLIC | 2 896 009 | 42% | 26 185 | 37% |
| Total | 6 898 207 | 70 060 |
Deaths, Recoveries and Active Cases
Regrettably, a further 844 deaths have been reported: Eastern Cape 452, Free State 12, Gauteng 96, Kwa-Zulu Natal 65, Limpopo 11, Mpumalanga 8, North West 46, Northern Cape 5 and Western Cape
- This brings the total to 31 368 deaths.
We convey our condolences to the loved ones of the departed and thank the health care workers who treated the deceased.
The 452 deaths reported from the Eastern Cape are as a result of data reconciliation dating between May and November 2020- this includes analysis of community cases where post-mortem swabs were taken for COVID testing and analysis of clinical records where the the diagnosis was unconfirmed at the time of demise. The National Department of Health is engaging the province to investigate the details of the reporting backlog.
Our recoveries now stand at 929 239 at a recovery rate of 80,8%
| Province | Total Deaths | Total Recoveries | Active Cases |
| Eastern Cape | 8292 | 162 039 | 5 610 |
| Free State | 2215 | 55 629 | 6 565 |
| Gauteng | 5923 | 268 551 | 35 727 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 4870 | 148 420 | 76 993 |
| Limpopo | 636 | 22 612 | 7 592 |
| Mpumalanga | 664 | 34 646 | 5 441 |
| North West | 648 | 35 553 | 6 958 |
| Northern Cape | 417 | 23 194 | 2 742 |
| Western Cape | 7703 | 178 595 | 41 356 |
| Total | 31 368 | 929 239 | 188 984 |
Dr Zwelini Mkhize Minister of Health
