THE DA has called for Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize to step aside pending the outcome of a Special Investigative Unit (SIU) investigation into his department’s dealings with Digital Vibes, a communications company aligned to his friends and close associates.
The party’s national spokesperson Siviwe Gwarube said the minister cannot be trusted and might interfere with the SIU investigations.
The SIU report is near completion and would be handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa in the next coming days.
“He must simply step down to allow the independent investigation to take its course and for President Cyril Ramaphosa to give an update on who will be criminally charged and held accountable for this grand theft,” said.
This comes after an independent forensic investigation revealed that the R150 million tender awarded to communications company Digital Vibes was irregular and contravened the Public Finance Management Act.
The SIU has also found that the department’s involvement with Digital Vibes was irregular.
According to an expose by Daily Maverick, Mkhize’s department has paid Digital Vibes R150-million for services related to the National Health Insurance and government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mkhize’s former personal spokesperson, Tahera Mather, and former personal assistant, Naadhira Mitha, are reported to control the company, although the two are not listed as directors.
“It is now clear that the looting of public money has happened under the leadership of Dr Mkhize while there is a glaring conflict of interest considering the fact that DV is owned and run by very close associates of the minister. It cannot be that the very person entrusted with the COVID19 response in the country is embroiled in this kind of scandal involving public money,” said Gwarube.
“Minister Mkhize must step down pending a full SIU investigation. We have also called on the president to expand the scope of the SIU investigation to include the new information which has come to light.”
President Ramaphosa said on Friday that he was awaiting the outcomes of the SIU investigation.
“I’m waiting for the SIU to finish their own report. There has been a preliminary investigation at the departmental level and the minister has briefed me and I’m now waiting to see how the SIU will conclude on this matter,” he said.
“I know that they are working quite fast to come up with a report and I would say that until that has been done, I’d like to be given the time to consider what they will come up with and thereafter we will be able to handle the matter.”
- Inside Politics
