S.Africa's graft watchdog probes virus gear supply complaints
South Africa's ethics watchdog said Monday it was investigating several complaints involving the irregular supply of protective gear and sub-standard quarantine facilities in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Known as the Public Protector, Busisiwe Mkhwebane said her office "has over the last four months seen a rapid surge in the number of complaints of conduct and service failure relating to the pandemic".
Some of the alleged malfeasance include procurement of protective gear to government at inflated prices and the awarding of a tender for a quarantine facility to a "dilapidated" centre which lacked necessities such as toilet paper.
Several hundred other complaints arose from the rejection of applications for a monthly social relief grant meant for individuals.
In April, the government announced an unprecedented 500-billion-rand ($29-billion) economic stimulus and social relief package to cushion the impact of coronavirus.
But some of those funds have been stolen, misused or relief food aid has been diverted from households in need.
"We have been consistent in our call on the bureaucracy to exercise prudence when it comes to spending public funds on COVID-19 related goods and services," said Mkhwebane in a statement.
South Africa has one of the best health care systems on the continent, but it has been rocked by alleged corruption in the supply of personal protective gear for health workers in public hospitals and other institutions.
On Monday President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed to deal "decisively and harshly" with corruption.
He said corruption during a national disaster was a "heinous type of crime".
"It is difficult to understand the utter lack of conscience that leads a businessperson who has heeded the call to provide lifesaving supplies during a devastating pandemic to inflate the price of a surgical mask by as much as 900 percent," he said in his weekly newsletter.
"Attempting to profit from a disaster that is claiming the lives of our people every day is the action of scavengers. It is like a pack of hyenas circling wounded prey," he said.
With 511,485 confirmed cases of coronavirus, South Africa accounts for more than half of Africa's diagnosed infections.
It has the fifth highest number of total COVID-19 cases globally.
