Government accused of bullying in response to Prof Gray comments

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has slammed the government on its respose to views shared by Professor Glenda Gray – president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on COVID-19.

Gray’s comments spark ire 

Gray was quoted by News24 saying the regulations implemented by government in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus were thumbsucked, and had no scientific basis.

Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize responded to these iterations earlier in the month, saying Gray’s comments were “unprofessional and unbecoming conduct and destructive behaviour”.

This was followed by the call from the Department of Health’s acting director-general Dr Anban Pillay, who recommended that SAMRC investigate Gray’s conduct.

On Monday, the DA – one of the biggest critics of the ongoing lockdown entered the fray in Gray’s defence.

Government accused of bullying

The party’s leader John Steenhuisen has accused government of shutting down dissenting views 

“Minister Mkhize was entirely within his rights to disagree with Professor Gray, which he duly did in a rebuttal piece,” he said in a statement.

“But for the Director-General of his Department to write to the MRC instructing an investigation into her conduct, along with veiled threats of revealing other unnamed issues from unnamed sources, is simply unacceptable. It is equally unacceptable that the MRC capitulated the way they did before government’s bullying.

“Government has already lost credibility in its Covid19 response by failing to supply the model and data on which it based its decision to place South Africa in the longest hard lockdown in the world – a decision that will cause untold suffering for an entire generation of South Africans. Gagging dissenting voices in the scientific community will certainly cost it whatever credibility might be left.”

During his address on Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that government welcomed diverse views, as the country grapples with the novel virus.

“We are extremely grateful for the work they have done and continue to do to ensure that our response is informed by the best available scientific evidence,” Ramaphosa said.

“We appreciate the diverse and sometimes challenging views of the scientists and health professionals in our country, which stimulate public debate and enrich our response.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa

South Africa has 22 583 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the death toll now at 429.