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Dozens of South African companies are under investigation for providing substandard personal protective equipment (PPE) that was intended to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. sunday time reports.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) is working alongside the Hawks and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) on the investigation, with four companies already facing charges.
Hawks spokesman Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi said there are more than 50 cases involving counterfeit or substandard PPE. However, he said the Hawks cannot yet quantify the substandard PPE involved, or the overall value of the team.
“This is a nationwide investigation and the correct charges will be preferred once all the evidence has been gathered. Corruption cannot be ruled out. “
Data from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) shows that around 60% of the medical grade masks examined did not meet the quality criteria. SABS Senior Administrator Jodi Scholtz said most of its inspections were carried out at the warehouses before the PPE was shipped.
“Non-compliant masks are harmful to the wearer as they can allow particulate penetration, may be made of a material that irritates the skin, and may have higher than acceptable respiratory resistance,” Scholtz said.
“It is important to remember that different batches of products can have different results, so it is not correct to assume that a manufacturer only produces defective or inferior quality products.”
Damning findings
The investigation comes after Auditor General (AG) Kimi Makwetu released a report this week that found major flaws and corruption in South Africa’s R500 billion coronavirus funding.
“Based on what has been audited to date, there are clear signs of overpricing, unfair processes, potential fraud, and supply chain management legislation being circumvented,” he said.
“Additionally, delays in delivery of personal protective equipment and quality concerns could have been avoided through better planning and vendor management.”
Some of the key issues identified in the PPE acquisition included;
- There are delays in the delivery of PPE;
- PPE is not always purchased at market prices;
- There are deficiencies and non-compliance in the EPI acquisition processes;
- There are insufficient controls to ensure receipt and payment of PPE at the ordered quality and price levels.
“The problem with the quality of the PPE purchased is more apparent in some schools that were visited where the masks provided did not meet specifications and were often one size fits all (either for a child or an adult),” said Makwetu. .
“We also found cases where the supplier substituted the specified PPE items ordered by a health department with lower specification items, which the department accepted and even paid at the higher price of the item originally ordered.”
Additionally, poor controls were evident in auditees who received and paid for goods that were not ordered, he said.
Read: Auditor General Uncovers Major Flaws and Corruption in South Africa R500 Billion Coronavirus Funding
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