The bombshell news on Wednesday morning came from President Cyril Ramaphosa as he released the long-awaited Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) report into the Digital Vibes probe.
The SIU found that former minister of health Zweli Mkhize lied to South African citizens, failed in his oversight duties and was “clearly conflicted” because of the irregular appointment of his friends.
It has also been recommended that health department director-general Anban Pillay be criminally prosecuted for financial misconduct for his role in the Digital Vibes contract.
The report found that there was sufficient evidence to link Pillay to fraud for his role in the awarding of the contract to Digital Vibes. While the report further outlined that Mkhize had lied to the president and the country when he announced in a press conference earlier this year that neither he nor his family had directly benefited from the Digital Vibes contract.
We will now have to wait and see what further action will be taken in the ongoing saga and if Mkhize could face even graver consequences like an imminent arrest?
For more on the Digital Vibes scandal read Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s analysis on Daily Maverick.
Here’s what else is happening today:
Marc Wachsberger, MD of Capital Hotels & Apartments, writes an open letter to Cyril Ramaphosa in Business Day pleading with the president to ease lockdown restrictions as we emerge from the third wave of the coronavirus.
Political commentator Justice Malala writes in his Financial Mail column that even though the ANC is “poor at governing” they always find a way to turn out support and shouldn’t be written off in the upcoming local government elections. (For subscribers)
In the Sunday Times Daily, Bloomberg reporter David Herbling interviews Bernard Olayo who runs a booming oxygen supply business that took off in the wake of the coronavirus. (Register to read)
Melanie Verwoerd writes in News24 about the race to take control of the Cape Town metro and whether the Democratic Alliance (DA) has done enough to recapture the votes of its strong Cape supporter base. (For subscribers)
The Citizen cautions the nation not to lose sight of the end goal as we exit the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. While the infection rate has gone below 5 per cent writes the newspaper we shouldn’t go overboard. (For subscribers)
And finally, Jonathan Katzenellenbogen writes in the Daily Friend about the ongoing crisis at Chinese mega-company Evergrande and what the implications are for China’s and indeed the world’s future.
