THE ANC’s national working committee on Tuesday welcomed the decision health minister Zweli Mkhize to present himself to the Integrity Commission, in line with the resolution of the 54th National Conference.
This after President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Mkhize on special leave on Tuesday over the Digital Vibes scandal.
ANC deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte said Ramaphosa was correct in waiting for a report by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into a contract by the Department of Health before taking a decision on the fate of minister.
“Investigations by the SIU are initiated at the request of departments and proclaimed by the president,” deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte said on Tuesday.
“We welcome the efforts of the government to strengthen law enforcement agencies to allow for swift identification and prosecution of corruption and fraud, and the assurance that there will be no political interference whatsoever in the work of these agencies,” said Duarte.
Before Ramaphosa’s statement, the minister apologised for the public rage over the allegations, the latest in a series linked to coronavirus-related tenders that have angered a public suffering pandemic-induced economic hardship.
Mkhize has denied any personal wrongdoing.
Ramaphosa, who has promised that graft during the COVID-19 pandemic will be dealt with harshly, said the special leave would enable Mkhize to answer an investigation into contracts between his department and service provider Digital Vibes.
Mkhize said on Tuesday: “I fully acknowledge and take personal responsibility for the public outrage that has been caused by this Digital Vibes contract.”
“The negative discourse has … tainted the team work of our government that is led by the president in our continued efforts to fight COVID-19. … For all of this I want to unreservedly apologise,” he added.
Daily Maverick, which first broke news of the contract in February, said the firm was appointed in late 2019 to provide communications services for the government’s National Health Insurance roll-out.
The scope of work was extended in March 2020 to include COVID-19-related communication.
Meanwhile, Duarte also confirmed that the urgent application brought by Secretary-General Ace Magashule against the party to challenge his suspension was expected to be heard by a full bench on June 24, 25.
- Inside Politics. Additional reporting by Reuters.
