A Free State man who was reportedly the first South African to have contracted coronavirus without travelling outside the country has now tested negative.

Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday night that the man was tested at a private facility in the Free State. Mkhize said that because the man “did not fit the case definition”, the test was done again at the National Health Laboratory Service in Johannesburg. That test came back negative.

As a result, the number of South Africans who have tested positive for coronavirus is now 16.

“We can’t explain why some tests come out positive then later negative. We released the result of positive, we then did additional verification, which confirmed it was negative. It’s not a crisis, it happens every now and then. This particular patient is now negative after verification,” said Mkhize.

At the media conference, The Ranch, a four-star hotel near Polokwane, Limpopo, was identified as a quarantine point for South Africans being flown back from coronavirus-hit Wuhan.

Mkhize announced that the 145-bedroom facility, 25km south of Polokwane, was the quarantine point.