DA welcomes Mboweni's call for Covid provincial health contracts to be published

31 July 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the call by the Minister of Finance, Tito Mboweni, calling on all provincial Health MECs to publish the list of all companies that have been awarded personal protective equipment (PPE) tenders related to Covid-19 in their provinces.

The DA, this week, put pressure on the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to make public all companies and their board of directors that have been awarded contracts by provincial departments in light of the dubious R2 billion PPE contracts in Gauteng that have allegedly been awarded to companies, which are politically connected or with no history of supplying services that are being rendered.

The Western Cape Provincial Government has already published all contracts awarded during this time on an online platform for public scrutiny. It is import that both Ministers Mkhize and Mboweni insist that the other eight provinces follow the Western Cape’s example.

We trust that this will not remain a mere call but that all MECs will immediately act to publish these details without any further delay. It simply is not enough for the Finance Minister to remain a mere spectator when he has the power to bring about this accountability.

The ball is now in the court of the provincial Health Departments to play open cards, if there is indeed nothing to hide, this exercise will not be difficult.

South Africa is currently in the midst of a difficult battles to save lives, and this fight cannot be intercepted by greedy politicians and elites for their own personal benefit.

Issued by Siviwe Gwarube, DA Shadow Minister of Health, 31 July 2020