A consignment of the controversial, Cuban-manufactured Covid-19 drug Heberon Alfa R 2b (also known as interferon), meant to be used as a booster for soldiers in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) against infection, has quietly been sent back to Cuba. 

This came to light during a briefing on Wednesday before the Portfolio Committee on Defence on the outcomes of a ministerial task team inquiry into alleged irregularities in the procurement and payment for three consignments of drugs worth R228-million.

The Heberon drugs were not approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) when the SANDF imported them without the required authorisation into SA via the Waterkloof Air Force Base.

The task team consisted of Zolile Ngcakani (chairperson), Billy Masetlha, and Dr Cassius Lubisi.

Lubisi briefed the committee despite Defence Minister Thandi Modise not having released the full report by the task team as promised in a previous committee briefing. She is the only one who has the prerogative to release the report, her deputy, Thabang Makwetla, said. Modise could not attend the virtual meeting because she is ill and is booked off until the end of January.

During the briefing, Sahpra CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela confirmed that she had received a letter from the Department of Defence a day before the briefing, confirming that the drugs had been sent back to Cuba.

No details were provided about whether the full consignment had been returned. It is also not clear how the necessary export documentation was generated for a consignment of medicines irregularly imported.

The only aircraft known to have recently departed South Africa to Havana, Cuba, was an Air Zimbabwe flight out of OR Tambo International Airport on 19 January. 

In 2020, a total of 970,695 vials of the Cuban medicine were delivered to the SA Military Health Services’ (SAMHS’) depot in three batches at a cost of $15-million.

Since then, the Auditor-General has flagged not only the irregular procurement of the drugs as fruitless expenditure, but the whole Operation Thusano. This operation involves the continued bilateral agreement and contract of cooperation between the Defence Department and the Cuban government, an agreement originally concluded in 2012.

In a letter to the committee before Wednesday’s meeting, the Auditor-General stated: “During the final audit, we further reported in the management report that the process followed to implement the bilateral agreement with Cuba through Operation Thusano was not compliant with Section 217 of the Constitution or with National Treasury regulations and instruction notes. 

“As a result, all expenditure incurred under Operation Thusano, which was in excess of R1-billion as at 31 March 2021, was irregular [the total expenditure includes payment for the Heberon].”

Lubisi said the military command council had approved the procurement of the drugs, arguing the SANDF had found itself in a warlike situation regarding Covid-19. The contract for the drugs was concluded as “services rendered” under Operation Thusano.

The importation was handled by the logistics support division in the SANDF, rather than the SAMHS, which is authorised to handle all military medicine orders in line with legislation.

Daily Maverick/Erika Gibson