The projects under investigation involved funding agreements for vaccine research and development entered into by or on behalf of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Technology Innovation Agency, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The SIU announced on 19 December that President Cyril Ramaphosa had signed proclamation 304 of 2025, mandating the unit to look into the procurement of or contracting for goods, works or services for these projects. “These include contracts for the development of a National Vaccine Manufacturing Strategy, finalisation of an overarching vaccine development and manufacturing strategy, and projects related to a Virus-Like Particles (VLP) platform,” said Kaizer Kganyago, spokesperson for the SIU, in a statement.
TheNational Vaccine Innovation and Manufacturing Strategyhas been developed by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation with the aim of consolidating national efforts in vaccine development, translational research and manufacturing. Local vaccine manufacturing capacity emerged as a national priority in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, when South African and many other African countries found themselves dependent on international pharmaceutical companies for much-needed vaccine products. Kganyago said that the SIU’s investigation would determine whether the vaccine research contracts and related payments were conducted in a manner that was “not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost-effective”.
“The SIU will also examine potential violations of applicable legislation, manuals, guidelines, practice notes, circulars or instructions issued by the National Treasury, as well as the internal policies and procedures of the institutions,” he said. The investigation is related to allegations lodged between 1 January 2021 and 19 December 2025, according to Kganyago. Its scope includes any “irregular, unlawful or improper conduct” by officials or employees of the institutions, as well as relevant suppliers or service providers.
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Daily Maverick approached the SIU about the investigation period, as well as the timing of the probe’s launch, but a response had not been received by the time of publishing. Queries were sent to the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation and the CSIR, and their responses will be added if they become available.
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