Cape Town — Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, has vowed to uncover a R500 million scandal at Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), a state-owned animal vaccine manufacturing entity.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed Steenhuisen’s decision to conduct an audit into irregular fund spending.
In a statement, the party also expressed its support for the agricultural community’s dissatisfaction with OBP’s failure to fulfill its mandate, which has left the country short of much-needed vaccines.
In a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture held at the end of July, the OBP had given the impression that everything was up to scratch, but the Auditor General (AG) addressed the Committee over a large portion of a grant the OBP received in 2013 that was unaccounted for.
“On receiving this information, the DA insisted that OBP reappear before the portfolio committee to account for the false assurances that they provided to the committee in July. On the request of the DA, the committee also unanimously decided to execute an oversight visit at OBP as soon as possible,” DA spokesperson, Willie Aucamp, said.
The AG said the OBP is not following the basics when it comes to auditing and it highlights the significance of the forensic audit Minister Steenhuisen wants to conduct, and the party has welcomed the decision, saying it was important to restore integrity and accountability in the sector.
“It confirms the DA’s commitment to root out corruption and poor management as well as our commitment to advocate for transparent and accountable governance. With the DA in the Government of National Unity (GNU), citizens can rest assured that their interests are always at the forefront of our efforts,” Aucamp concluded.
🔍 Taking action to root out corruption!
Minister of Agriculture, the DA’s John Steenhuisen MP, has launched a probe to get to the bottom of the missing R500 million grant allocated to the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP), a crucial entity for producing animal vaccines. pic.twitter.com/IsyxGhqrIZ
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) August 25, 2024
According to The Citizen, Corruption Watch director, Karam Singh, said Steenhuisen’s decision has raised expectations among other government departments such as Home Affairs and Correction Services. Singh said these departments have historically been plagued by corruption but said it was a promising sign of the working GNU.
Steenhuisen revealed that the investigation came about as certain vaccines and stocks have not been available. He said the money received from the R500 million grant was meant to go to a new vaccine plant, which was not built, and led to vaccine shortages, leaving the OBP on a serious decline.
“Had that money been spent correctly, this would never have occurred. By not having access to sufficient supplies of vaccines, it has affected their ability to service the animal health needs of their clients,” Steenhuisen said.
He noted the chronic shortage of the African horse sickness vaccine due to low manufacturing.
Steenhuisen said the matter was never formally explained and no one has been held accountable. He wants the AG to offer guidelines on institutions and a full forensic investigation into the money provided to see what it has been spent on.
“This matter has been brewing for several years and it is in the interests of everybody that we get to the bottom of it. A full timeframe will be available once the auditors are appointed,” he said.
My department and I are determined to get to the bottom of what happened to the R500 million grant from Parliament in 2014 to OBP.
We will institute a full audit and investigation to trace how those funds were spent and ensure accountability. https://t.co/G24k1Qh9iE
— John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) August 25, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
