The State has begun the process of handing over the Covid-19 vaccine contracts.

It has opted to comply last month’s high court ruling that ordered the Health Department to make public all these contracts as well as the documents related to negotiations.

The Health Justice Initiative (HJI) who took the matter court says its legal team has received part one of the information. The department has given an undertaken to share the rest of the documents by no later than September 29th.

The HJI Director Fatima Hassan has hailed the disclosure saying it’s an important day for South Africa’s democracy and for transparency around the process of health procurement. She further notes that it also sends a strong signal to powerful pharmaceutical companies and others that in South Africa, transparency cannot be bartered and is not up for sale