Health minister saga is urgent

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa needs to move with breath-taking speed to finalise the matter facing Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize. Failure to act promptly will have dire consequences for the country’s response to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination programme.

Mkhize is embroiled in a serious corruption scandal that is the subject of an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

Recent revelations in the media detail how Digital Vibes, a company owned by Mkhize’s allies, allegedly paid for maintenance work at his “family property” in Joburg.

It was also revealed that Digital Vibes allegedly transferred money into the company account of Mkhize’s son, Dedani.

As if that were not enough, recent media reports revealed that the company transferred R160 000 to a Pietermaritzburg car dealership for a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser last year. The car was allegedly subsequently registered in Dedani’s name.

The serious corruption allegations involving Mkhize have led to the absence of an authoritative central government voice to communicate Covid-19 messages to the public.

Mkhize, who has been the face of the government response to the pandemic since the first case was reported in March last year, has withdrawn from public life and has even stopped holding press briefings and publishing daily Covid-19 statistics on social media platforms. There is widespread speculation in the media that he is preparing to resign.

While Mkhize is applying his mind on his next move and Ramaphosa waits for the SIU findings, there is an absence of leadership at national level to help the country avoid a third wave that has reached the Free State, Northern Cape and Gauteng.

While the work KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala and Gauteng premier David Makhura are doing is useful, the void Mkhize left is not helping national efforts to fight the virus.

The SA Medical Association has called on the government to enforce stricter lockdown measures, saying some members of the public are not adhering to Covid-19 health protocols.

Politics aside, a lot is a stake here and dealing with Covid-19 is a life and death issue. Ramaphosa should either send Mkhize on a leave of absence, until the SIU report is released, or delegate his deputy, Joe Phaahla, to steer the country in the right direction.