Johannesburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed beleaguered Health Minister Zweli Mkhize on special leave amid allegations that he may have personally benefited from the multimillion-rand his department awarded to his associates.
The Presidency said the period of special leave will enable Mkhize to attend to allegations and investigations concerning contracts between his department and communication company Digital Vibes, which was awarded a R150-million contract for Covid-19 and National Health Insurance communication.
Also read: Dr Zweli Mkhize will appear before the ANC’s integrity commission this week
“The Special Investigating Unit is investigating this matter and the president awaits a report on the outcome of this probe. Minister of Tourism Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane will serve as acting minister of health until further notice,” the statement said.
Earlier, Mkhize confirmed to journalists on his visit to the Galeshewe Day Hospital in Northern Cape today that he had discussed taking special leave with Ramaphosa.
Asked whether he should not resign, Mkhize: “We should not pre-empt issues”.
Mkhize apologised for the outrage that the scandal has caused, saying he took full responsibility.
He is facing allegations of conflict of interest.
Daily Maverick reported that Digital Vibes, owned by two of Mkhize’s close associates, settled invoices for maintenance work at the minister’s property in the upmarket suburb of Bryanston, and also transferred at least R300 000 to a company owned by his son, Dedani in 2020 while getting paid by the department.
The minister has also written to the party’s integrity commission, after he was summoned to present himself before the body, which was created to safeguard the image of the ANC.
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte said the party welcomed his decision to present himself before the commission.
Read more: Mkhize suspends top officials following Digital Vibes contract scandal
Sunday World revealed that four officials in the health department were placed on precautionary suspension last Saturday, May 29, as revelations came to the fore of how Mkhize’s associates were irregularly awarded the lucrative contracts to do work that should be carried out by internal staff.
The four officials include Dr Anban Pillay, the department’s deputy director-general for health regulations and compliance management, and Popo Maja, chief director for communications and stakeholder management.
They are both facing disciplinary charges in connection with “certain irregularities” relating to the Digital Vibes fiasco, which has thrown the department into turmoil as the country entered the third wave of the deadly Covid-19 global pandemic.
The two bureaucrats have been given until Monday to submit representations on why they should not be suspended for the contract, which involved expenditure on communications on Covid-19 and the National Health Insurance.
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