Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says government will continue to tighten expenditure monitoring processes in its departments. This as many cases of alleged corruption linked to tenders to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) emerge during the coronavirus pandemic.
Authorities are currently investigating many COVID-19 related transactions.
Dr Zweli Mkhize responds to PPE corruption scandals:
Dr Mkhize was speaking during an ANC webinar hosted by the Sarah Baartman region in Bhisho in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday.
He said government is dealing strongly with people that deliberately decided to exploit the system.
“Under pressure, lots of things happened and there are things that could have been done wrongly where there are mistakes. I think it is easy to understand, but where people decided deliberately to exploit the system; that is where we are dealing very strongly with this matter. But going forward, we are looking at how we work closely with the CFO and the chief procurement officer and ensure that the questions of qualities and compliance with supply chain regulations are taken into account and so it is still an important issue.”
PPE procurement strengthened to avoid corruption
On Saturday, Acting Gauteng Health MEC Jacob Mamabolo said processes for the procurement of PPE have been strengthened in the department to avoid corruption.
“That PPE period was characterised by non-compliance with the laws controlling supply chain. It was also characterised by poor quality, but also in addition to that, that period was characterised by poor use and poor understanding of the use of PPE. We have been working on a new supply chain process. We do not expect to have PPEs in our institutions and facilities that are not of the right quality and standard,” said Mamabolo.
