Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was a no-show at Friday morning’s meeting after receiving legal advice not to appear.

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane this week accused Ramaphosa and Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize of failing to respond to her communications.

SIU head Andy Mothibi said that investigators were close to wrapping up investigations into personal protective equipment corruption and these should be completed by August.

The unit has on Wednesday briefed Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts on the investigations.

The committee’s deadline to come up with a report on the amendment to be submitted to Parliament was on Monday.

On Tuesday, the state-owned bank appeared before parliament’s finance watchdog Scopa to address allegations of financial irregularities in respect of certain multi-million rand loans.

The inter-ministerial task team on the North West led by Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her Justice counterpart, Ronald Lamola, were to give an update on what progress it had made in the province.

The amending of the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation continues to divide parties who have resorted to bilateral talks. However, these too have not yielded any results.

Members of Parliament (MPs) reflected on a quarter of a century since the passing of the supreme law, acknowledging those who had created from all parties.

Speaking during his Budget vote on Thursday, the minister said they must start by fixing the damage at state-owned entities (SOEs) before repositioning them.

Delivering a member’s motion in the National Assembly on Thursday, Democratic Alliance (DA) health spokesperson, Siviwe Gwarube, said that Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was embroiled in one of the biggest COVID-19 scandals.

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has borrowed the phrase often used by his arch-enemy, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), to call on companies and individuals accused of looting SOEs to refund the state.

Parliament has on Wednesday heard that these range from serious crimes like rape and assault to COVID-19-related corruption and lying about their coronavirus positive status, to name a few.

The department of communications and digital technologies' Moses Ntshabele said the Postbank wass already a state-owned institution under the Post Office. He said the new Postbank would not replace the idea of a state-owned bank.

Former Democratic Alliance (DA) member Patricia de Lille said that the last black member of the party should turn the lights off on their way out after the DA launched a scathing attack on her leadership of the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

But the head of the corruption busting unit Andy Mothibi said he can’t disclose the outcome of the probe just yet.

Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille believed that paying them a fee would go a long way in ensuring that their information was appreciated by government.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula told the National Assembly, during the delivery of his department's budget vote that the government would be making an announcement on scrapping the controversial e-tolls.