Ministry of Health Principal Secretary (PS) Khanyakwezwe Mabuza has delivered his most candid account yet of the health crisis, conceding that despite commissioning forensic investigations into the shortage of drugs and medicines in the health sector, the reports have fallen short of solving the crisis.
Mabuza revealed that the country had failed to properly handle the reports, including the Sikelela report that was to probe a similar crisis as the current Funduzi report.
Pointing out that the country had not learned its lesson from the previous report, the health controlling officer stated that the handling of the controversial Funduzi forensic report may have worsened the situation rather than resolve it.
In an in-depth interview, Mabuza said while the decision to commission the forensic probe was justified, what followed derailed efforts to address the structural causes of the crisis, shifting focus instead to individuals and deepening instability within the system.
“The initiative to conduct the forensic investigation was a good one. It came from a good place,” Mabuza said, choosing his words carefully.
“But the biggest issue has been the handling of that report and what followed after,” he added.
His remarks come at a delicate moment. The Funduzi report and related matters are now before the courts, limiting how far officials can go in public commentary.
Even so, Mabuza agreed to speak, citing a duty to account to the public following King Mswati III’s directive earlier this year that the crisis be resolved “now”.
Mabuza’s central argument is that the country lost sight of causality, which is why the forensic investigation was set up in the first place.
Instead of interrogating systemic failures, including procurement bottlenecks, supply chain disruptions and financing gaps, Mabuza said the aftermath of the report led to what he describes as the ‘personalisation of the crisis’.
“Whathas transpired is that instead of building from previous reports, or interrogating why recommendations were not implemented, we ended up not dealing with causality,” he said.
“We personalised issues, unfortunately,” he emphasised.
That shift, he argues, proved costly.
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By focusing on individuals rather than systems, the response overlooked broader pressures that had already weakened the health supply chain, particularly the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We ignored what the pandemic had done to global supply chains. And everything that followed has not helped the situation,” he said.
Mabuza stepped into office on August 9, 2023, at the height of public anger over medicine and drug shortages.
He replaced Dr Simon Zwane, who had been moved to another ministry in the midst of scrutiny over his alleged role in the crisis.
Even after his transfer to the Ministry of Housing, Zwane was among 13 individuals questioned over the crisis, and the subject of attempts by the Anti-Corruption Commission reportedly seeking a warrant for their arrest.
It is alleged that the chief justice declined applications for the warrant, ruling that the evidence did not meet the required legal threshold.
By the time of Mabuza’s arrival at the Ministry of Health, it had become one of government’s most embattled institutions.
Having built a strong reputation at the National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA), he entered an environment defined by scrutiny, litigation and institutional distrust.
Since then, he has faced a barrage of questions from Parliament, the media and the public on issues ranging from procurement failures to, more recently, the controversial E25 million emergency tender.
His decision to grant a reflective interview marks a shift from the ministry’s earlier defensive posture.
Throughout the interview, Mabuza remained cautious, repeatedly emphasising that ongoing court processes limit what he can say.
“I am not taking sides here, but as the controlling officer of the ministry, I would be dishonest to say that the handling of that report has done us any favours,” he said.
Despite the challenges facing the ministry, Mabuza insists that the situation has improved.
He credits development partners, particularly the Global Fund, for stabilising supply in critical areas.
“We appreciate partners such as the Global Fund. They have stuck with us. Because of them, the situation has improved drastically,” said Mabuza.
He, however, stopped short of declaring the crisis over.
“Yes, there are still gaps that remain, but we have improved significantly from where we were,” he admitted.
Ultimately, Mabuza’s message is a call to return to fundamentals.
The crisis, he emphasised, will not be solved through blame or litigation alone, but through a disciplined focus on systems, procurement efficiency, supply chain resilience and financial sustainability.
“We must deal with the real issues,” he said, stating that this includes learning from past reports rather than restarting the diagnostic process each time.
“It also requires insulating technical processes from political and public pressure, a difficult task in a context where medicine shortages have become a national crisis,” Mabuza added.
