While Covid-19 is the most talked about virus, TB and diabetes are silent killers that remain the leading causes of natural deaths in South Africa.
Mkhize added the hype about Covid-19 should not fool anyone into thinking other diseases, which are prevalent in South Africa, have subsided.
According to non-profit think tank Copenhagen Consensus Centre, about 450 000 people developed TB in South Africa annually, with 270 000 of those also living with HIV.
He said: "By the time we get to the end of the year you will find that the number of people who died from Covid-19 will be less than the number of people who died from other diseases."
"That is the point I was making earlier that we will not lose focus on the need to attend to HIV, antiretroviral treatment, TB treatment, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and mental health -all these are very important to us."
