DA welcomes arrest of NW Department of Health HOD in R470 million Brits Hospital Scandal
6 November 2023
The DA welcomes the arrest of the North West Provincial Department of Health’s HOD, Mr Obakeng Mongale, for his alleged involvement in the R470 million Brits Hospital scandal during his tenure as the then HOD for the Department of Public Works.
In April 2021, the DA rejected the appointment of Mr Mongale as Head of the Department of Health in North West. We note the North West Health MEC, Madoda Sambatha’s decision to place Mr Mongale on special leave after his appearance in the Mahikeng Magistrate’s Court on Friday for charges relating to the contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
It is alleged that Mr Mongale oversaw a R57 million payment to a liquidated company, Iliima Projects and Tsoga Developers when the contract was put to an end following poor workmanship, which had to be repaired by another company to an additional value of R4 million.
Once again, the North West Department of Health will be left with an Acting HOD, while paying Mr Mongale’s full HOD salary during his special leave incurring more wasteful expenditure. This situation could have been avoided had MEC Sambatha considered our objections in good faith when we raised them in 2021 and to rather appoint an individual that is fit-for-purpose and above reproach.
Unfortunately, the ANC in government remains hell-bent on deploying questionable cadres to positions of authority to continue to undermine the law and promote entrenched ANC corruption.
Incidentally, Mr Mongale was appointed Health HOD to replace the former HOD, Dr Andrew Lekalakala, who himself has been arrested for alleged fraud of R49 million through his company, Raliform Investment, in the construction of the Moses Kotane Hospital in Rustenburg and the Joe Morolong Hospital in Vryburg.
The North West Department of Health has been mired in corruption scandal after corruption scandal. It is evident that the ANC continues to exploit the needs of patients in the public health sector to line the pockets of corrupt ANC cadres instead of delivering the quality health care they need. Three years later and the North West Provincial Government has still not finalised the investigations into the multi-million Rand Buthelezi EMS contracts that syphoned millions away from medical services through the notorious state capture era, and we are again dealing with yet another corruption scandal.
These latest developments support the DA’s position that the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme aggressively pursued by the ANC seeks only to further entrench corruption within the public health sector to advantage cadres and cronies and not to improve medical services to millions of people in desperate need of quality health care.
North West residents should take note of the persistent ANC corruption that leads to long waiting times at clinics and hospitals, medicine shortages, long waiting times for elective surgery and treatment. If we want quality public health care in this province, then residents need to register to vote DA in next year’s elections.
Issued by Gavin Edwards, DA Provincial Spokesperson on Health: North West, 6 November 2023
