Zweli Mkhize – a sick state of affairs and a lot of bad vibes

Zweli Mkhize, who was the health minister from 2019 to 2021, was involved in the collapse of the country’s health system during a pandemic.

Many people’s loved ones died from Covid-19, some due to a lack of beds, food and oxygen tanks in hospitals.

In total, South Africa recorded nearly 103,000 deaths and 4.04 million positive cases as a result of Covid-19.

One would think that with the billions of rands donated and loaned to SA we would at least have a new hospital to show for it, after the pandemic. However, we are left with what is soon to be another State Capture inquiry, a villain who had set his sights on becoming the next president, and no vibes this festive season. Not even digital vibes.

How to be a villain 101

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigated Mkhize in the awarding of a communication tender, worth R150-million, to a company called Digital Vibes. This came after Scorpio journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh exposed the shady deal.

Mkhize was quite generous with this amount – not to the millions of ordinary citizens who depend on the healthcare system, but to his family and friends.

Myburgh discovered that R82-million had been spent in total on Covid-19 communication, which raised eyebrows for him. Digital Vibes was revealed to be listed under company director Radha Hariram, who “was a front for Tahera Mather: a figure familiar to political journalists as Mkhize’s longtime aide”, reported Daily Maverick.

Mkhize’s daughter-in-law received money to open a nail bar and, in previous years, Mkhize’s wife also received millions to buy a farm.

Mkhize’s plans to become South Africa’s next president have been scuppered now that Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected president of the ANC. DM168

Mabula is an intern from Stellenbosch University’s Centre of Journalism and Media Studies honours programme.

How we chose the People of the Year winners

In the past, Daily Maverick journalists decided who they thought warranted the title of Person of the Year, but for the second year running, we have asked readers to vote for their preferred choice, with the proviso that we still have the final say. Choosing the annual winners is a labour of love because that’s what it takes to get a bunch of DM editors to decide whether they agree or disagree with the choices of 13,000 readers.  Over the next few days, we shall republish online all the results in various categories. – Heather Robertson, DM168 editor

 

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.