The general secretary of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), Zwelinzima Vavi, has tested positive for Covid-19.

Vavi told eNCA on Thursday he had no idea how he became exposed to the virus.

“All I had was a flu from Friday and it got worse by Saturday and Sunday and yesterday I went to test, just to be on the safe side, not that I had any of the signs ...” he said.

“The last thing I was expecting was to test positive but there you are. And it shows you the reason this thing is so dangerous is that you take it lightly.

“Even now, I feel absolutely fine and better than any other day of the past five days and (yet) they called to say 'you are positive, you must go to self-isolation'," he said.

Vavi revealed he had been homebound since the lockdown came into effect last Friday.

The last meeting he attended had been a political and ideological meeting of Saftu, two days before the lockdown, he said.

He also said he had gone for a coronavirus test on Saturday but was turned away because he did not have a fever.

Vavi did not answer his phone when SowetanLIVE sister publication TimesLIVE  tried to contact him.