The Department of Health on Friday announced the appointment of South African National Aids Council (Sanac) CEO Dr Sandile Buthelezi as the department’s incoming director-general.

The department noted Buthelezi’s 15-year experience in health governance, policy and programme management  and said he was bringing a wealth of knowledge to the department at a crucial time when the country was battling the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Buthelezi trained as a medical doctor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and was also Director of HIV in the province’s Health Department.

“The experience I have gained in and out of the public sector has made me a much more moulded person to work with a team of people to move forward with critically focussing on the National Health Insurance,” said Buthelezi

Buthelezi spearheaded the implementation of the National Strategic Plan while at Sanac, which hopes to eradicate HIV and TB and reduce pressure on the country’s health system.

He has also secured billions in grants from the Global Fund to assist South Africa’s fight against HIV and noted that the lessons learnt from dealing with HIV in South Africa were helping the country deal with Covid-19, especially in community-based testing, screening and testing.

““With a visionary Health Minister like Dr Zweli Mkhize, and the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, I believe we are in safe hands. We all want to contribute towards quality healthcare services for all South Africans...We are all together in this, and for all of us, it should be all hands on deck,” he stated.