With Dr Joseph Phaahla being promoted from his position as Deputy Health Minister to replace the embattle, Dr Zweli Mkhize, Spotlight reviews Dr Mkhize’s tenure, writing that the very reason he was brought in to that post — to roll out National Health Insurance — would likely suffer a considerable setback as a result of his exit.
His appointment as South Africa’s Minister of Health in May 2019 came as a surprise for some. As one of the ANC’s top officials, the health portfolio seemed a meagre choice in the pre-COVID days.
However, Mkhize’s seniority signalled that health was being given high priority in the new administration. Theoretically, his greater political clout meant he would have a better chance of bringing much-needed reforms to provincial healthcare systems. Spotlight were also “cautiously hopeful that Mkhize’s firmer hand would help better organise and direct the National Health Department and the various national health entities.”
A string of procurement scandals during his time as KwaZulu-Natal’s Premier was cause for concern but was not direct evidence that he was corrupt.
The Digital Vibes scandal had the side effect of making Mkhize anathema to the very project he was originally brought in for, implementing National Health Insurance.
Even with Mkhize gone, the ANC will have a hard time convincing the public that we will not see more such looting once NHI is implemented. There has, after all, been little willingness from ANC members in Parliament to engage seriously with people’s concerns about the proposed NHI structure and governance arrangements set out in the NHI Bill.
Mkhize tackled COVID from a scientific standpoint, which is fortunate for the nation considering the anti-scientific stance of the former Minister of Health Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. However, the decision not to use AstraZeneca vaccines remains contentious. Meanwhile, a purge of scientists, starting with Professor Glenda Gray, let Mkhize surround himself with allies, according to Spotlight.
However, entering the third wave with vaccinations lagging so far behind was a governance disaster possibly even worse than the Digital Vibes scandal.
From an outside perspective, the past two years have not seen great progress in the department, despite some competent individuals, with infighting, under-capacity and most seriously, poor management. The procurement department
Source: Spotlight
