Johannesburg: The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) unequivocally rejects and condemns the misleading, reckless and unjustifiably defamatory allegations published on X (formerly Twitter) from an account whose user identifies as Modibe Vladimir Modiba and his follower, Dr Dzunani Mathebula, who made commentary on the thread. The post, published at approximately 18:54 on 15 February 2026, alleges that “key officials” at the NHLS extort money from service providers and deliberately delay payments in exchange for kickbacks. As of Monday, 16 February 2026, the post had recorded approximately 57 thousand views. Further comments by Dr Dzunani Mathebula in the thread escalate the allegations by claiming that there is corruption in the Human Resources department when recruitment processes are conducted. These assertions are entirely without a proper basis, as there is no evidence to substantiate these allegations. The NHLS has approved policies which must be complied with in the procurement of goods and services, as well as for the recruitment of candidates to fill vacancies. These policies are premised on the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic, the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury Regulations, Labour Relations Act, and all other applicable legislative and regulatory requirements. At the outset, the NHLS emphasises that it does not condone any form of non-compliance with internal policies, professional standards or legislative and regulatory obligations. The NHLS maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, bribery, extortion, fraud, and unethical conduct. The organisation has established protected whistleblowing channels and encourages any person with credible evidence of wrongdoing to submit such evidence through lawful and formal mechanisms. Social media conjecture is not a substitute for substantiated reporting. The NHLS will take all appropriate steps necessary to protect its institutional integrity and its brand against baseless and malicious attacks. We remain steadfast in our mandate: delivering ethical, accountable and high-quality diagnostic laboratory services in support of South Africa’s public health system. The NHLS will not provide further public commentary on this matter beyond this statement.

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