Govt followed procedure to procure vaccines, says Mabuza

Deputy president David Mabuza has assured MPs that as government, they abided by the necessary protocol when procuring the COVID-19 vaccines and there were no questionable activities involved.

Mabuza answered questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday, 12 May 2021. The deputy president said there all kinds of measures in place to spot and also prevent any dubiousness in the procurement process.

“From where I am sitting, I am quite confident in the process that we have followed all processes to ensure that there is no corruption. We have an interministerial committee that is looking at all these processes, and if we detect any sign of corruption, we follow it,” said Mabuza.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize announced in September 2020 that they had established a Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC), which would oversee all aspects pertaining to the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines.

As government, they have faced immense criticism over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic – most notably the restrictions, the vaccine rollout and the ability (or lack thereof) to track the virus.

Deputy president Mabuza defends NDAs on vaccines

Government has also come under fire for signing non-disclosure agreements with most of the leading vaccine distributors. Deputy president David Mabuza has defended this and said the auditor-general would understand their financial decisions.

“I take it that in the final analysis the auditor-general will be able to see the value for money. We will be able to disclose to the AG why we paid so much instead of paying so much. But, in this case, it’s either we take it or leave it. The price is set and we negotiate the prices…,” Mabuza said.

The deputy president further touched on the No Fault Compensation Fund, which will pay out money to anyone who may suffer injury as a result of having received the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that our people are protected through this scheme. Manufacturers of the Covid-19 vaccines will not make any contribution to this no-fault compensation system. This is part of the contractual obligation for all countries that acquire Covid-19 vaccines”

Deputy president David Mabuza