Gauteng spends R500 million on hospital it does not own
3 March2021
The Gauteng Provincial Government has irregularly spent about R500 million on the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital in the Far West Rand, despite a short-term lease from the mining company which expired on 31 January this year.
In a response to my questions yesterday at a virtual sitting of the Gauteng Legislature, Infrastructure Development MEC Tasneem Motara said that AngloGold had offered the hospital on a short-term lease, and that there were now negotiations to extend it to a long term lease or get it donated from the company.
She said that the Accounting Officer of the Gauteng Health Department had delegated the authority for her department to do the alterations to the hospital, and the decision to go ahead with it was taken by the Provincial Executive Council.
I am astonished that no legal opinion was taken in this matter as it seems obvious that it is highly irregular and possibly illegal to spend a huge amount on a property not owned by the provincial government.