Covid-19 Health response: Minister Mkhize must explain why expert advice is being ignored

17 May 2020

Reports today that the ministerial advisory committee (MAC) which advises the Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, is in disagreement with government strategy to deal with Covid-19 are deeply concerning.

It is now clear that the government is reluctant to allow scientific findings to guide the country between the various levels of the strategy in order to save lives and livelihoods.

While the Health response has been commendable over the past 7 weeks and the DA has supported the various interventions, we can no longer pledge support to a strategy that has no scientific basis.

Ignoring expert advice which calls for responsible reopening of the economy and industry while capacitating the health system in order to deal with the inevitable spike in infections is wholly irresponsible and tantamount to gambling with the lives of South Africans who has pledged their support to government and their response to Covid-19.

The fact that half of the four group leaders within the MAC now no longer support the government’s risk-adjusted lockdown strategy and how it is implemented through the regulations is indicative that something has gone seriously wrong. It is now clear that there is a chasm between what is being discovered and produced by scientists and experts and the strategy the South African government has taken.

This is why the DA has repeatedly called for transparency in the data that the South African government is looking at in order to decide on the Covid-19 related responses. The secrecy that has characterized the issue of data and modelling is now being exacerbated by the advisors who have now broken rank.

Minister Mkhize can no longer simply ask for blind support of his strategy when the team he leads is coming undone at the seams.

He must now urgently take the nation into his confidence and explain the points of disagreement within his team; his submission to the National Command Council on dealing with the impending spike in infections; the data and modeling they are looking at in order to make health interventions and most importantly health system capacity to handle infections across the country. We need understand - per sub-district – bed capacity, ventilator availability and healthcare workers capacity and skills set.

We no longer can run away from this pandemic. We must face it head on and ensure that the vulnerable to the illness, those who are unable to self-isolate and the general South African public is protected. Work must now be done to capacitate industries to be able to implement stringent health protocols for those that would be coming back to work.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and his team can no longer avoid making the tough and necessary decisions. Millions of lives and livelihoods are now hanging in the balance.

Issued by Siviwe Gwarube, DA Shadow Minister of Health, 17 May 2020