South Africa has missed the deadline for a deposit on the Covax Vaccine Facility…again!
Securing a supply of the vaccine for South Africa as soon as possible should be governments number one priority right now. It is unacceptable that government’s tardiness is jeopardising our access to the vaccine.
When the DA questioned Tito Mboweni in Parliament on 4 December about missing the first deadline (of October 9), the Minister responded angrily. He insisted that we didn’t have the facts, that no deadline had been missed, and that we were misleading the public.
Less than two weeks later, and it turns out the opposite is true.
South Africa has missed the second deadline for payment (15 December), and government is still unable to provide the necessary guarantees required for the remainder of the amount.
Now it seems it was the Minister who may have misled Parliament and the country.
The public now needs a clear and full explanation from Mboweni on:
- when government will make the Covax payment
- when government will provide the guarantees for the remainder of the amount owing
Since the December 4th exchange in Parliament, we have submitted parliamentary questions to Mboweni himself. We await replies.
From the available information, South Africa has signed a “non-binding” letter of participation in the “committed purchase arrangement” as one of the AMC Eligible Countries. This requires a 15% deposit ($1.60 per dose) and a financial guarantee for the remaining 85% ($8.95 per dose), to be provided within 21 days of the “payment due date obligation” of 9 October. Based on available evidence, we have not met these obligations.
The opacity from the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health, and indeed from the President, must now end. South Africa needs a full explanation, with all information on the table, and a clear plan and timeline for the Covax rollout. Nothing less than full transparency will suffice.