Why He Had To Go

We delve into the scandal that led to the health minister being placed on special leave and what this means for SA’s war on Covid

- Jane Vorster

WAS it some kind of sick joke? We’re in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic, the third wave is upon us while the vaccination rollout is going at a snail’s pace – then news breaks that the health minister has been put on special leave and the minister of tourism is taking over the crucial portfolio.

But a joke it is not. By all accounts President Cyril Ramaphosa had no choice but to put health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on special leave.

The president is committed to a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and with allegations that Mkhize was involved in a dodgy tender scandal – which even he himself admits was “irregular” – the only option was for him to step aside while the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probes the matter.

But what does this mean for the fight against Covid? And is there any chance Mkhize can get his job back? We take a look.

WHAT HAPPENED?

In February a damning exposé by news website the Daily Maverick revealed how Digital Vibes, a company set up by Mkhize’s long-time spokesperson Tahera Mather and his former personal assistant Naadhira Mitha had been coining it since 2019 thanks to a lucrative tender they won to do communications work for the health department. It’s thought to be worth at least R150 million.

Investigators within the department subsequently deemed a big chunk of this expenditure “fruitless and wasteful”. There was, for example, a R3,6 million payment to Digital Vibes for setting up an interview with Mkhize for SABC news in December to announce SA’s second Covid wave.