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‘Corruption related to PPE is murder’: WHO DG condemns SA PPE corruption

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World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his disdain towards the way the personal protective equipment (PPE) tenders were handled by corrupt officials.

He said “it is criminal and it is murder. It has to stop.”


He made this known during a media briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend when asked about the alleged PPE corruption in SA related to tender fraud worth billions.

Ghebreyesus explained that corruption related to PPE supplies especially during the Covid-19 pandemic was unacceptable.

“Any type of corruption is unacceptable,” said Ghebreyesus.

“However, corruption related to PPE, for me it’s actually murder. If health workers work without PPE, we’re risking their lives and  the lives of the people they serve. It is murder and it has to stop.”

​SA’s Covid- 19 corruption scandals is now an international discourse that had drawn attention to the country and soiled the country’s global image.

However, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday told the ANC to confront its senior members accused of PPE corruption.

“I am sure you are aware that across the nation there is a sense of anger and disillusionment at reports of corruption in our response to the coronavirus pandemic. This anger is understandable and justified,” said Ramaphosa.

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