Ramaphosa Places Zweli Mkhize on Special Leave Pending Digital Vibes Investigation
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed Minister of Health Zweli Mkize on special leave pending the outcome of an investigation being carried out by the Special Investigation Unit
- A statement released by the government has confirmed that Mkhize has been placed on leave but the statement read that this was to allow Mkhize to address the allegations levelled against him
- Minister of Tourism Ms Mmamoloko Kuayi-Ngubane will serve as the Acting Minister of Health until further notice
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The South African government has confirmed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has placed the Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize on special leave.
The statement released by the government has revealed that Mkhize has been placed on leave to allow him to focus on the allegations that have been levelled against him of corruption.
Source: UGC
The scandal surrounds the service provider Digital Vibes which has been accused of having benefitted from Mkhize and in return gave the minister kickbacks.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is currently carrying out an investigation into Digital Vibes and the controversial R82 million tender and the president is awaiting the outcome of the report.
Minister of Tourism Ms Mmamoloko Kuayi-Ngubane will serve as the Acting Minister of Health until further notice.
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Digital Vibes
It was reported by the Daily Maverick that a small communications company, Digital Vibes, was awarded the R82 million contract. Now the African National Congress (ANC) has stated that the minister is innocent until proven guilty.
Allegedly, two of Dr Mkhize's associates had benefitted from the tender.
News24 reported that the SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyango said the communications company is based in KwaZulu-Natal. He added that the SIU had already started their investigations.
Alleged KickBacks
A report released by the Daily Maverick shows that the company Digital Vibes carried out work at a property owned by Mkhize.
The property is owned by Mkhize's family trust. Digital Vibes won tenders worth R150 million from the Department of Health.
Additionally, recent reports have revealed that Digital Vibes purchased a vehicle for Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize's son. Documents obtained by a well-known media publication show that Digital Vibes transferred R160 000 to a car dealership in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
The money was for a 2003 Toyota Land Cruiser and the vehicle was registered under Dedani Mkhize. Social media images revealed that the vehicle is being used at a farm near PMB, owned by Dedani.
Digital Vibes has been a company name on many lips since allegations of corruption involving them and Dr Mkhize arose. Digital Vibes allegedly bagged a corrupt R150 million contract from the Department of Health.
Earlier, Briefly News reported that Minister of Health Minister Zweli Mkhize denied reports that meetings were held with African National Congress leaders over the Digital Vibes saga. He also denied allegations that he blamed the president for trying to push potential presidential contenders out.
Reports say that the minister denied that he addressed members of the ANC in Pietermaritzburg about him allegedly running for ANC presidency. Mkhize stated that he had not spoken about being 'targetted' for the aforementioned reasons.
A media publication reported over the weekend that an insider who attended the meeting revealed that Mkhize was allegedly attempting to gain support within the ANC.
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Source: Briefly News
