AfriForum lays charges after North West Department of Health wastes R783 million
AfriForum laid criminal charges against Thabo Lekalakala, Head of the North West Department of Health, today as part of its national campaign against misappropriation in the public health sector. This follows after the organisation studied the Department’s annual report and found that Lekalakala was guilty of offences in terms of Section 86(1) of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No. 1 of 1999).
AfriForum visited all nine provinces between 5 and 9 November 2018, during which criminal charges was laid against the heads of each Provincial Department of Health.
“AfriForum is of the opinion that the misuse of taxpayers’ money is a national crisis,” says Stephen Nel, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for Mooi River.
It is time that taxpayers put pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority to make examples of heads of departments who do not fulfil their duties as prescribed by the Act. They are some of the biggest perpetrators in the misuse of taxpayers’ money,” adds Nel.
The North West Department of Health’s annual report indicates that the Department incurred irregular expenditures of R682 million in the 2016/2017 financial year. The department also incurred unauthorised expenditures amounting to R99,6 million, and fruitless and wasteful expenditures of R1,5 million in the 2016/2017 financial year.