From medical doctor to high-ranking ANC politician, Dr Zweli Mkhize has had a distinguished career that on Thursday ended in a mess as he was allowed to step down from his position on the eve of a Cabinet reshuffle, vowing to fight findings that he ...
First a doctor and then a politician, nothing seemed to delight Dr Zweli Mkhize more than to share war stories from the medical trenches with doctors as he performed his oversight visits.
As health minister he led South Africa’s Covid-19 response and in the beginning announced with much relief each day that no cases had been detected. Mkhize became the beloved face of the country’s Covid-19 response, with hundreds of worried listeners and viewers commenting on social media every time he coughed during a briefing.
“We have now reached the surge. The storm that we have consistently warned South Africans about is now arriving. As a nation we have every reason to be united in this fight against Covid-19. We dare not be divided. As the government, we have said, we cannot fight this Covid-19 enemy alone. We need all political parties, social partners and every citizen to come on board.’’
South Africa’s vaccination drive, however, only got going properly after Mkhize had been placed on special leave by Ramaphosa after corruption allegations over the Digital Vibes communications contract had been levelled against him.
Despite his obvious passion for medicine, Mkhize’s position became untenable after he and his family were inextricably linked to a corrupt contract given to the company Digital Vibes, for its contentious National Health Insurance and Covid-19 communications services. The company is owned by close associates of Mkhize, including Tahera Mather, who served as his special adviser.
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