Onderstepoort Biological Products chief executive Jacob Modumo has been suspended pending an investigation into allegations of inflated pricing in the sale of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines.
The move comes as South Africa continues efforts to contain foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks affecting livestock producers.
The Southern African Agri Initiative has welcomed the investigation announced under Agriculture Minister Willie Aucamp. SAAI executive Theo de Jager told eNCA that farming organisations had previously challenged the state’s control over the import, distribution and administration of vaccines.
De Jager alleged that prices charged in transactions between the state-owned vaccine producer and provincial authorities were highly inflated. That claim is under investigation and has not been established as a finding.
He said the minister had undertaken to make vaccines available to farmers at the lowest practical cost after resolving litigation over the distribution framework.
Modumo’s suspension is a precautionary employment step while the matter is examined. It does not by itself establish misconduct.
The outcome of the investigation and any response from Onderstepoort Biological Products or Modumo had not been announced when the report was published.
