[ad_1]
Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize.
Darren Stewart / Gallo Images
- Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says he supports an investigation into the Department of Health’s contract with Digital Vibes.
- Two paid consultants from the company are alleged to have personal ties to him.
- The Auditor General marked the R82 million contract as irregular.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said Health Department Director General Sandile Buthelezi flagged the department’s contract with Digital Vibes, whose paid consultants have ties to Mkhize, for further investigation earlier this year and recommended that an external investigator will be appointed.
On Wednesday, the Daily Maverick reported that an obscure communications company, Digital Vibes, with her former personal spokesperson and family friend Tahera Mather and her former private secretary Naadhira Mitha as paid consultants, obtained an irregular communications contract from the Department of Health for value of R82 million. for jobs related to the pandemic.
On Thursday, Mkhize addressed the National Council of Provinces about the government’s vaccine implementation plan.
Gauteng DA deputy Mbulelo Bara asked Mkhize to clarify the matter.
READ | WHO will pay a lump sum for the side effects of the Covid-19 program Covax vaccine
Mkhize said that around January his CEO met with him to update him on ongoing investigations in the department.
Buthelezi informed Mkhize that the auditor general made findings against the Digital Vibes contract and found it irregular, and Buthelezi recommended that it be further investigated.
“I fully supported this view and asked him to go ahead,” Mkhize said.
Buthelezi sought his advice on whether it should be investigated by the department’s internal audit unit or by an external investigator, and Mkhize advised him to appoint an external investigator because other investigations had been conducted externally due to lack of internal capacity.
“When there are allegations of wrongdoing brought to our attention, we must investigate this,” he said.
Research
He also promised that the results of the investigation will be released.
On Wednesday, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it was already investigating the matter.
Mkhize said he welcomed the SIU investigation.
READ | The next batch of J&J vaccines will arrive on February 27
Mkhize did not say a word about his alleged personal ties to Mather and Mitha.
At the beginning of the briefing, he said that the department had learned lessons from the corruption of the PPE.
“We must deal with corruption,” he said.
He also called on civil society and political parties not to politicize issues related to the pandemic.
“I would like to appeal to our leadership in society and in political parties that we need to keep the fight against Covid-19 non-partisan and we must work together to demystify vaccines and deal with myths and misinformation.”
He said it was clear that the country was now in a situation “where we believe there is an opportunity for our people to overcome the virus.”
He said vaccinating 40 million people, possibly more, was the only way to beat the pandemic.
