South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has laughed off his failed attempt to demonstrate how to put on a face mask during a live national TV address last night.

"For those who are laughing at me, I'm going to open a TV channel where I'm going to teach people how to put on a mask," Mr Ramapahosa joked with journalists during a visit to a quarantine facility in Johannesburg.

The fumble has led to widespread mockery on social media and the hashtags #MaskOnChallenge and #CyrilMaskChallenge trending on Twitter.

In his speech, Mr Rampahosa announced an easing of some lockdown restrictions, that were imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, beginning next month.