A controversial and long-dormant investigation into the SANDF’s procurement of an unregistered COVID-19 drug has resurfaced after renewed pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA).
By Nicholas Gotsell – The Star
In 2020, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) came under intense scrutiny for purchasing Heberon Alpha R 2B, a Cuban-made interferon drug, which had not been registered by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). Despite the lack of legal authorisation, the Department of Defence (DoD) imported and administered the drug to military personnel during the peak of the pandemic.
After initial media uproar and an investigation that appeared to stall, the case had largely faded from public view—until now.
According to recent reports, DA Shadow Minister of Defence, Kobus Marais, has reignited parliamentary and public scrutiny by submitting further questions to the Defence Ministry and calling for accountability in what he describes as an “abuse of defence procurement procedures and a potential health risk to SANDF members.”
“Taxpayers funded an unlawful and potentially unsafe intervention. We cannot let this matter be swept under the carpet,” Marais said.
The SANDF’s acquisition of Heberon not only circumvented health regulations but also raised serious national security concerns, given that a foreign pharmaceutical intervention was deployed without domestic approval.
📎 Accountability Still Pending
The Department of Defence has yet to release a full report on:
- The total cost of the drug import
- The chain of command behind the authorisation
- The health impact on soldiers who received the treatment
- Whether disciplinary action was taken against those involved
The DA is now demanding that Defence Minister Thandi Modise brief Parliament on the issue and release all findings from internal probes. As public confidence in defence oversight erodes, the revived Heberon controversy once again puts the SANDF’s procurement practices—and its accountability to civilian authority—under the spotlight.
