Tembisa hospital pays R498 000 for skinny jeans but CEO still not suspended

23 August 2022

The scandal engulfing Tembisa Hospitals gets worse and worse, but CEO Ashley Mthunzi remains in his job.

It’s now revealed by a News24 investigation that R498 000 was splurged on 200 pairs of skinny jeans for girls aged 6 to 7. That’s R2500 each!

The jeans were bought on 24 June last year from a fishy company called Inez Chaste formed just one month earlier. It’s one of ten firms owned by retired soccer star Themba Shabalala and his wife Evelyn.

According to News24, they have “established a medical supply empire featuring in a broad network of 45 shell corporations - controlled by nine people - which scored more than R110 million in contracts from the hospital in two months.”

Today is exactly one year since Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran was assassinated shortly after she flagged up to R850 million payments by Tembisa Hospital as “possibly fraudulent”.

But her report that called for a forensic investigation and a halt to the payments was buried by the Gauteng Health Department.

Tembisa Hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi is in the spotlight as amounts under R500 000 don’t have to go out to tender, and he can sign them off.

Despite the mounting evidence against him, as well as a DA protest outside the hospital on 12 August, he has still not been suspended and details of a promised investigation have not been provided by the Premier’s Office.

The Tembisa Hospital is notorious for overcrowding and poor service but splurged on luxury armchairs and skinny jeans in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. They even bought 2000 hand towels for R230 each!

There is a direct ANC connection as well - ANC Ekurhuleni treasurer-general Sello Sekhokho scored R2.3 million for over-priced goods bought from three of his companies.

We need to know why this scandal was covered up after Babita was murdered, and decisive action is needed to clear out all the rot in the Gauteng Health Department.

No more excuses. There must be Justice for Babita!

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 23 August 2022