Govt denies Covid vaccine red tape

This comes amid mounting pressure on South African officials to cut the red tape around procurement.

Trade union Solidarity and lobby group AfriForum escalated their grievance to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria recently where it emerged that there is no statutory restriction on the private sector regarding the purchase of vaccines.

Previously government announced it would be the sole purchaser of vaccines, dampening the hopes of the private sector to begin vaccine rollouts earlier.

But on Tuesday, government changed its tune.

Deputy Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla pointed at vaccine manufacturers saying they had set the tone.

Phaahla joined Deputy President David Mabuza and other officials at the Biovac cold chain facility in Midrand.

"We haven't prohibited anybody but it's the actual manufacturers, whether you talk to Pfizer, whether it's J&J, they themselves want to deal with government because they feel much more secure in terms of their interests, in terms of their own guarantee," Phaahla said.

"I don't know why this matter arises because whether you go to the UK, it's the UK government which buys from AstraZeneca, from Pfizer. We go to the US, it's the government. Everywhere it's the government because that's what the manufacturers actually prefer," he added.

He said government was taken aback by the backlash from some organisations in the private sector.

"It's not as if as government we waved a big stick and said, 'thou shall not do this and that'. It's just that it's the manufacturers that are comfortable with that kind of arrangement," Phaahla said.

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Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni bolstered Phaahla's comments, adding that the current arrangement is a safety net for manufacturers.

"In terms of the procurement that we're working on, given the waivers that have to be done for the vaccines to be done and administered, I don't think there is a company in the country that can give that waiver about the lives of South Africans.

"It's only the government of South Africa that stands surety of the lives of South Africans."

South Africa has made some headway in the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, with some 160 000 doses already on the country's shores.

More jabs are set to arrive in coming weeks.