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- Zweli Mkhize has clarified the government’s delay in meeting a payment deadline for the Covax vaccine program.
- He says the problem was due to administrative issues.
- The district attorney, meanwhile, had threatened to pressure the government to make the Covid-19 vaccine plans public.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize finally cleared things up about claims that South Africa missed certain deadlines to participate in the Covax vaccine program, saying the delay had to do with administrative problems.
Mkhize spoke during a briefing on the latest Covid-19 scientific advances in South Africa.
He said the money will be paid to Covax in “the next two or three days,” and has ensured that the necessary documentation has been signed.
There have been reports that the government missed the December 15 payment deadline to secure vaccines through the Covax coalition.
On Thursday, the National Treasury refused to respond to Fin24 about these allegations. The health department also kept its lips closed
“The question was whether we were going to participate or not and the decision was made by the Cabinet that we would,” said Mkhize, adding that “everything else was administrative and technical procedure. So the delay is at that level.”
He explained that the format used by the Covax program was not aligned with that of Treasury.
“It had nothing to do with whether we wanted to participate.”
READ ALSO | Covid-19: DA will take legal action to make public the government’s Covid-19 vaccination plans
Earlier on Friday, the prosecution said it would push for South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine plans to be made public.
The party wrote to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization seeking answers about South Africa’s participation in the vaccine program.
He also intended to submit an Access to Information Promotion Act request to Mkhize to request information on a detailed vaccine plan.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said that as countries scramble to acquire the vaccine, South Africa has not followed suit.
Securing the vaccine for South Africa as soon as possible should be the government’s number one priority right now. However, South Africa has missed the deadline for a deposit at the Covax vaccine facility, not once, but twice. It is unacceptable that the government’s delay is jeopardizing our access to the vaccine, ”he said.
Meanwhile, Mkhize announced late Friday that a new variant of Covid-19 has hit the country and that it may be spreading faster and affecting people who do not have comorbidities.
– Compiled by Kerushun Pillay
