AfriForum’s application against the Minister of Finance will be heard on 18 May 2021 by the Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria. AfriForum seeks an order to direct Tito Mboweni, the Minister of Finance, to use his discretion in terms of section 3 of the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act 5 of 2000 in exempting all state organs that purchase and sell goods and services related to the vaccine programme from all black economic empowerment (BEE) requirements.
It is in the public interest that the purchasing of vaccines is exempted from BEE requirements. BEE slows down the process significantly, drives up the cost of services and excludes companies from bidding if they are not BEE compliant. Moreover, there is prima facie evidence of far-reaching corruption when it comes to tender and purchasing processes.
“It is very revealing that – even when there are lives at stake – the ANC remains dedicated to their policies of systemic racism such as BEE. This is not simply harmless politics; it is a dangerous game with deadly, real-world consequences. The Minister of Finance has a duty to prevent this type of racial interference and to step in to put a stop to it,” says Ernst van Zyl, Campaign Officer for strategy and content at AfriForum.