Tembisa Hospital probe should extend to all Gauteng Hospitals

14 December 2022

The Democratic Alliance welcomes the SIU report which confirms the allegations of massive maladministration, fraud and corruption in the award of contracts by Tembisa Hospital to fishy companies.

Yesterday’s raid by the Hawks to obtain documents from the hospital should help in laying criminal charges against business owners and colluding officials.

The SIU has applied for a Presidential Proclamation to extend its probe of Tembisa Hospital contracts, but this should be extended to all Gauteng public hospitals.

For instance, according to replies to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature, the three companies owned by ANC bigwig Sello Sekhokho got 225 contracts worth R84 million in the last three years from other Gauteng hospitals. This was in addition to R14.5 million from 55 Tembisa Hospital contracts.

Another example is that companies linked to Hangwani Morgan Maumela got R356 million from Tembisa Hospital in the last three years, as well as R22 million from Mamelodi Hospital, and R2.4 million from other hospitals.

All implicated companies should be blacklisted immediately, and steps taken to recover money spent on grossly overpriced goods which may not even have been delivered.

I suspect there are high-level officials at Gauteng Health’s head office who collude in these hospital payments scams. They need to be exposed and prosecuted.

Hospital money should be spent properly to ensure the best treatment for patients, rather than squandered on fraudulent contracts.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 14 December 2022