President Cyril Ramaphosa says Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has briefed him on the situation regarding the allegations against him. Ramaphosa adds that Mkhize is ready to cooperate with any investigation into the matter.

Mkhize has responded to media reports that the Special Investigating Unit is investigating a complaint about a multi-million rand tender that allegedly benefited two of his close associates.

The tender was awarded to KwaZulu-Natal-based communications company Digital Vibes that reportedly received R82 million in a COVID-19 consultancy contract for communications about the pandemic.

Ramaphosa was engaging in a virtual Q and A session with members of the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef).

“Minister of Health has briefed me about this matter and I am glad that he has said that he welcomes any form of investigation in this matter and that he has not participated in any wrongdoing but he will prefer that the matter be properly investigated and that he will cooperate with any process that relates to the investigation of this matter. I prefer to leave it there; we will only be able to deal with it once the investigation has revealed something.”

On the revelations at the State Capture Commission, President Ramaphosa says he will have to wait for the commission to conclude its work and then take action afterward.

“We had a High-Level Panel Review led by Sydney Mufamadi, it produced a report and now the Zondo Commission is in the process (of compiling a report). Most of the matters at the Zondo Commission are obviously going to have to wait for proper synthesis, proper analysis by the commission and the commission is then going to come out with a report. The report will then be the type that will inform us of the full veracity of some of these events and incidents that have taken place. The Zondo Commission will be concluding its work soon and they will be reporting to me as president and I will examine the report, the weight of their recommendations, then there will be a follow-through on the basis of what would have come out of that report. I prefer to leave those times of matters there. “

President Cyril Ramaphosa answers questions from members of Sanef: