DA to grill Gauteng Health MEC on probe of fishy Tembisa Hospital payments

29 August 2022

Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi will face official questions tomorrow on the splurge of Tembisa Hospital payments that murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran flagged as “possibly fraudulent.”

My question on the order paper for oral reply at the sitting of the Gauteng Legislature is as follows:

“With regard to investigations by News24 concerning Babita Deokaran’s request for a forensic investigation into payments made by Tembisa Hospital, will the MEC please indicate:

1. Did the acting Head of Department or any other official at the time receive such a request;

2. If so, why was no forensic investigation done into the Tembisa Hospital payments that she flagged as suspicious;

3. Whose decision was it not to do a forensic investigation into the Tembisa Hospital payments;

4. Was the MEC aware at any stage of any request or observation by Babita Deokaran of suspicious payments at Tembisa Hospital;

5. If so, what was the MEC’s role in this matter?”

After much delay, the Department’s CFO Lerato Madyo has been suspended as well as the Tembisa Hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi, and Gauteng Premier David Makhura has announced that an investigation will be done.

The burning question is why a proper investigation was not done a year ago after Babita Deokaran was murdered.

We are talking big money - R850 million of payments to fishy companies for over-priced goods, including R500 000 for 100 leather armchairs, face cloths at R230 apiece, and 

200 skinny jeans for young girls at R2500 each.

It is important that the Health MEC takes accountability for this as well.

She is required to answer my questions, and then take a follow-up question.

The DA will continue to press for full accountability and decisive measures to root out corrupt officials who steal money while hospital patients suffer from poor service. 

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 29 August 2022