Covid-19 vaccine contracts were ‘punitive, one-sided’ and South Africa was ‘forced

Lerato Mbhiza

The Health Justice Initiative on Tuesday labeled the contracts the government signed with pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic as one-sided and unethical.

The non-profit organisation said the country was bullied into signing away its sovereignty.

The Health Justice Initiative (HJI) is a non-governmental organisation that took the government to court to force it to publicise the contents of the contracts it got into with pharmaceuticals to obtain Covid-19 vaccines.

In August, the High Court in Pretoria ordered the government to provide access to its Covid-19 vaccine procurement contracts. The contracts were uploaded on the HJI website on Tuesday and they showed that the country overpaid the vaccine manufacturer by a staggering amount.

South Africa was liable for payments of at least $734 million, including advance payments of almost $95 million, with no guarantees of timely delivery.

J&J charged South Africa $10 (R190)