Proof that ANC is SA’s comorbidity

There is a bizarre part of the statement by the Presidency announcing that Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has been placed on “special leave”.

It says this has been done to “enable the minister to attend to allegations and investigations concerning contracts between the department of health and a service provider, Digital Vibes”.

Why should he be “attending to” the allegations and investigations? He is a suspect, so surely he should be so far away from them that he cannot possibly influence them?

That attitude is the reason why many people are starting to question the commitment of President Cyril Ramaphosa to eradicating corruption.

The ANC has been known for its particularly lax response to charges of looting, especially against its senior cadres. Investigations must take their course, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law … blah, blah, blah.

All that does is buy the suspect time – and decades in the case of Jacob Zuma – to mount drawn-out defences and, ultimately, avoid accountability.

Now, in allowing Mkhize to “deal” with the allegations – as if he is merely wiping an irritating piece of mud from his shoe – the ANC has, once again, failed to walk the walk on corruption.

Yet, even more concerning is the fact that its hierarchical system – in which only full ministers are considered members of the “executive” – means that Mkhize, a qualified doctor, has been temporarily replaced in the most critical ministry in the country at present by someone with a business background.

This while Mkhize’s deputy, Joe Phaahla – a qualified doctor and surgeon – must, effectively, sit on the sidelines because he is not a member of the executive.

The sad reality is that this whole saga proves one thing with crystal clarity – it is the ANC which is South  Africa’s national comorbidity.