DURBAN - THE SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and the SA Communist Party have reacted with anger to moves aimed at blocking the use of a Cuban-manufactured drug to treat Covid-19 infections while soldiers were losing their lives to the deadly disease.
The move to seize the drug that could “save” members of the SANDF from Covid-19 deaths has been described as short-sighted because the military has the right to explore medical options to keep the army healthy.
The SACP in a statement issued yesterday said it supports legitimate measures by the SANDF to protect military personnel against Covid-19, as the military religious community bemoaned the impact of the disease on the soldiers.
In a statement released by the office of the SANDF Religious Liaison and Communication, the Chaplain Brigadier-General Monwabisi Jamangile said it was painful for chaplains “to lead troops to their graves.”
The statement came shortly after a Sunday newspaper reported that there had been a heated stand-off between members of the Hawks and the military at a depot in Pretoria.
It is believed that the Hawks were accompanied by members of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) who wanted access to the depot, allegedly to seize the drug called Interferon Alpha-2B (marketed as Heberon Alfa R), purchased by the army in Cuba.
The Hawks said yesterday they had launched a probe into the alleged stand-off.
Chaplain General Jamangile said in a statement that it was painful for chaplains to lead the funeral of soldiers that had died from this disease.
“It is with a heavy heart, extremely painful and with deep sadness that chaplains continue to lead troops to the grave, whilst reliably informed that there are means that lives of the soldiers can be saved in order for them to be able to carry out their constitutional mandate of protecting and defending the integrity of this country,” the statement said.
Colonel Sebatolo Loate, speaking on behalf of the chaplain, said losing a single soldier was a serious matter that concerned the army and the chaplain.
“The military has lost people, even the chaplain (office) has lost some people and for the Chaplain General to lose one of his own is concerning. This is not just about the severity of the problem within the army, it's about the impact of losing even a single soldier. Remember that to train a single soldier is not cheap. Every single member is a specialist,” said Loate.
The SACP said it supports legitimate measures by the SANDF to ensure it mitigates against military personnel being compromised in their front-line duties, and thus saves lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.
SACP central committee member Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo said: “There is a large body of scientific evidence globally that the Cuban-developed Heberon Alfa R (Interferon Alpha-2B) has been used successfully for over 30 years. Alfa R is approved around the world for the treatment of numerous diseases, including several cancers.”
Mashilo said the SACP was deeply worried about the highly questionable manner in which SAHPRA handled the matter following the first case in which the Military Health Services used the medicine successfully, saving lives.
“In short, SAHPRA embarked on a path to seek to destroy the medicine, literally. The SACP has started engaging with its Alliance partners for that conduct to be scrutinised. We will also engage with other fraternal formations to begin a process to hold to account authorities that allow people to die while remedies with the potential to save lives are suppressed,” he said.
The DA’s shadow defence minister, Kobus Marais, criticised how the drug was procured. “It seems clear that the procurement was deliberately done in a crooked manner and that the Military Command Council is trying to squeeze themselves out of the tight spot it created.
“Even if Interferon Alpha-2B should prove to be an effective measure against Covid-19, SANDF ruined nearly 40% of the stock due to sheer incompetence in ensuring that the drugs' cold-chain supply was adequately managed,” he said.
Pikkie Greeff, national secretary of the SA National Defence Union , said the union had not picked up any worrying trend with regard to the impact of Covid-19 on soldiers.
“We know that one military hospital has been inundated with Covid-19 cases, but that is not just soldiers. The hospital also treats the families of soldiers. Soldiers were at risk because they are at the front lines,” he said.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase said they were not aware of any stand-off where firearms were drawn between members of the SANDF and the Hawks.
“What we can confirm is that three of our junior officers had gone there, accompanying members of SAHPRA who wanted access to some medication that was there.
“The national head of the Hawks, Godfrey Lebeya, had ordered an investigation as to what transpired there,” he said.
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said they would not commenting beyond the statement issued by the chaplain.
It was not immediately clear why SAHPRA had wanted the drug and The Mercury was unable to reach the organisation yesterday.
The Mercury