What on Earth is going on at Onderstepoort? OBP, the state-owned vaccine manufacturer, plagued by mismanagement and corruption, has hit back at detractors it believes to be spreading “malicious statements” about the company.
In a press release issued in mid-July, the company said it had embarked on a new era of clean management and accountability, under a new CEO appointed in 2019. It says it is addressing issues such as availability of product, regaining lost market share, new product development and attraction and retention of necessary skilled staff.
However, apparently despite these efforts, the organization has received messages and phone calls “making malicious and mischievous statements about the company, the Board, the CEO and some members of the management team”.
OBP believes – though admits without evidence – these messages to be from disgruntled employees, past and present, “running scared of the CEO’s and the Board’s zero tolerance on financial mismanagement, accountability etc”.
The press release goes on to say that the statements are a deliberate smear campaign, peddling misinformation and innuendos, “with the aim to distract and deter the Board and OBP management to successfully turn around the company”.
No, we’re not really sure either ~ where there’s smoke there’s fire, perhaps?