South Africa’s health minister has said the country is now experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Minister Zweli Mkhize said four provinces – Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng – are the key drivers of the new wave.

The country reported 6,079 new cases on Wednesday.

The minister said there was a spike in infections among those aged between 15 to 19 years “believed to be due to large number of parties involving young people drinking alcohol with no adherence” to safety measures. “If this trajectory continues our health care system will be overwhelmed by the numbers,” he warned.

Since the pandemic began, South Africa has had the highest recorded number of total cases in Africa. It has so far confirmed 828,598 cases and 22,574 deaths. Recoveries stand at 754,658.