Faizel Patel – 17/12/2020
South Africa has missed another deadline to pay the deposit necessary to secure COVAX vaccine supplies.
EWN reports the Health Department has maintained it is in the process of finalising its agreement with COVAX, blaming the missed deadline on an administrative issue.
The health department however says the glitch will not prejudice South Africa’s chances of getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
The solidarity fund was meant to make a R327 million deposit to secure enough vaccines to supply 10% of the country’s population by Wednesday.
In a statement, the Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister for finance Geordin Hill-Lewis criticized government for missing the deadline for the payment.
“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.”
Hill-Lewis says finance minister Tito Mboweni responded angrily in parliament earlier this month when he was questioned about missing the first deadline on 9 October.
“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.”
Hill-Lewis says South Africa has missed the second deadline for payment and government is still unable to provide the necessary guarantees required for the remainder of the amount.
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