The health ministry is on Thursday responding to the contents of the damning Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report on Digital Vibes.
The unit's probe found that former health minister Zweli Mkhize blatantly ignored a cabinet memorandum advising that the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) should roll out the National Health Insurance (NHI) communications strategy to save costs.
Instead Mkhize, who was part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet at the time, allegedly went out of his way to ensure Digital Vibes, the company linked to his close associates, was awarded a R150m tender from the national department of health.
“It is astonishing that the minister thereafter, contrary to the cabinet memorandum, allowed Digital Vibes to be appointed by the national department of health in respect of the NHI media campaign. In fact, it can be argued that the minister deliberately ignored a cabinet decision [of which he formed part] in this regard,” reads the explosive report, released on Wednesday.
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