According to information the woman, who tested positive for Covid-19, passed away in hospital. A local doctor with knowledge of the matter said that the woman had a lot of comorbidities. He confirmed that she passed away last week and was buried over the weekend.

The woman was a teacher at a local school. She did however not return to school after the lockdown.

Information from another source was that the woman’s boyfriend tested positive two weeks ago. She started feeling ill last week and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday.

Jasper Zwane, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Department of Education, said that he cannot confirm or deny whether the teacher involved was Covid positive, but he could confirm that she has not been at the school since before the March holiday.

A source who attended the funeral said that the woman’s coffin was carried by men wearing hazmat suits and that they were not allowed to go near the grave.

The latest provincial statistics state that only two people had died of Covid-19, one in Bushbuckridge and one in Nelspruit. A local doctor said that he doubts the accuracy of the statistics.

• The Mpumalanga Department of Health’s spokesperson, Dumisani Malamule, read media enquiries sent via WhatsApp but did not respond to them. He also did not answer phone calls.

• Spokesperson for the MEC of Health, Sharon Nkosi, promised to give feedback before the end of the day.