AG: SANDF spent millions on unregistered Cuban Covid-19 drug
Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has revealed the South African National Defence force (SANDF) spent R34.6 million on procuring and importing an unregistered Covid-19 drug from Cuba.
Maluleke was releasing the second part of the report on the spending of the government’s R500 billion relief package.
"When we looked at the SANDF's accounting records we found that R34.68 million had been paid by the end of September 2020 to a provider in Cuba in relation to Interferon. And what we found were invoices to the value of R260 million and evidence of import for goods that would have come to South Africa by the August,” she said at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday.
"We found that there were shortcomings in planning in the procurement of this drug, including the transportation and warehousing of this drug. We were also concerned that the drug was procured without the relevant registration and regulations being observed.”
She said the Department of Defence is investigating the matter.
