Deputy President David Mabuza, as the chairperson of the South African National Aids Council (Sanac), oversees the funding that comes from the international community – $882 231 177 (about R13 billion).
The funds contribute to the fight against HIV, TB and STIs (sexually transmitted infections), which mainly affect the marginalised. In fact, the fight against HIV/Aids, TB and communicable diseases that Mabuza is tasked to co-ordinate under the umbrella of Sanac has also reduced the number of deaths due to Aids by 60%.
Under Sanac, a mass wellness campaign dubbed “Checka Impilo” was launched in 2018 by Mabuza to start people on HIV treatment, find missing TB patients and screen people for non-communicable diseases.
Between April 2019 and March last year, more than 18 million people were tested for HIV, exceeding the annual target of 14 million set at its launch.
Interestingly, at no point has Siviwe Gwarube of the DA, whether through a parliamentary question or a media statement, posed a contrary view on the work of Sanac under the leadership of Mubuza. Why is the vaccine rollout any different to a similar national response to an epidemic such as HIV and Aids?
Just as we stood united as Sanac in responding to HIV/Aids, the same unity is required to face the Covid19 challenge. Periods of national and global crisis require people, organisations and political parties to prioritise unity of purpose above narrow sectarian interests. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic is such a period in history.
As for the deputy president’s role to lead the effort for the mass rollout of vaccinations, Mabuza will be joined by his Cabinet colleagues to lead a fight against a pandemic that has claimed more than 40 000 lives in our country.
It is thus disingenuous to isolate him as unqualified to lead the effort. Surely the delegation does not presume that he or other members of this committee are specialists in the field of vaccinations?
The IMC is a virtuous opportunity to come together and ensure that safe and effective doses are procured. Moreover, through the IMC, proper co-ordination, transparency and accountability to the public is guaranteed.
After all, corruption and wasteful expenditure deprive citizens and communities of basic services needed in a contexts of diminishing public resources.
This Covid-19 Vaccine IMC is cognisant of what then auditor-general Kimi Makwetu said: “Even in the midst of a crisis such as Covid-19, transparency and accountability for government spending to the benefit of citizens cannot take a back seat”.
Let us desist from seeking political capital by disparaging the deputy president without being adequately informed.
Those who constitute membership of all inter-ministerial committees that Mabuza chairs, at political and technical level, would attest to his suitability for the task at hand.
His role of providing political leadership in the Eskom Political Task Team is clearly spelt out.
He is required, as delegated by President Ramaphosa, to oversee the speedy implementation of short-term energy generation and supply measures to address the electricity demand gap that had led to the power supply disruption in 2019.
Linked to this, his task is to monitor the implementation of institutional transformation programmes to ensure that Eskom is repositioned and brought to a path of optimal performance, good governance and longterm financial sustainability. There, many successes can be attributed to the work of the task team led by the deputy president. It seems many have forgotten that the country went without load shedding for a considerable period in the latter part of last year, as a result of the efforts put in by this task team. Inclusion of independent power producers to ensure there is additional available power to Eskom has been gazetted.
While the electricity interruptions are understandably a source of anger and irritations, mature politics would focus on supporting the task team to find lasting and sustainable solutions.
Finger pointing is a sign of political immaturity best left to populists and regressive forces. Sun Tzu is informative when he advises: “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
The coronavirus crisis can never be underestimated. There needs to be cultivated solidarity by all social partners to stand firmly behind the government’s efforts to fight the pandemic. Hope in defeating the pandemic rests squarely in our unity despite our differences. As Mabuza would always remind us, divisions fester to hopelessness.
When there is no unity of purpose and action we are bound to stagnate.
By Dr Jeff Sehume and Matshepo Seedat who are senior officials in the Presidency.
The Star