On 17 August 2023, the Pretoria High Court ordered the Department of Health of the government of South Africa to disclose details concerning contracts for the supply of vaccines signed with several pharmaceutical companies during the most severe phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In particular, the government was ordered to hand in copies of documents related to negotiations, agreements and procurement contracts. The decision was taken after a non-governmental organization filed a petition to obtain these copies. The plaintiff claimed that the government, according to the constitution, has a duty to be transparent.
The court upheld this argument, adding that such contract pertains to matters of public interest. The plaintiff intends to verify the legality of the process which led to the stipulation of the contracts, as well as their cost-effectiveness, given the high amount of public funds spent on vaccines procurement during the pandemic. According to the decision, the government must hand in the copies of the relevant documents within ten days.
