The recent suspension of several high-ranking health officials implicated in the Digital Vibes fraud scandal should not impact on the stability of SA’s vaccine rollout programme.
Parliament’s portfolio committee on health has called on the Department of Health to put contingency measures in place to ensure that the suspensions will not negatively influence the management of processes to ensure that the entire population is vaccinated.
This saw Digital Vibes — a company belonging to close associates of former health minister Zweli Mkhize — being improperly awarded the contract for an inflated R150m. This was to ensure that the health department’s credibility and the country’s vaccine rollout programme is not hampered by the suspension of director-general Sandile Buthelezi as well as other senior personnel.