Where is the proclamation to expand Tembisa Hospital probe?

14 February 2023

The Democratic Alliance is dismayed by the delay in the presidential proclamation that is needed to expand the probe into the massive Tembisa hospital payments scandal exposed by murdered Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran.

In December last year the SIU report found massive maladministration, fraud and corruption in the award of contracts by Tembisa Hospital to fishy companies. This involved about R1 billion over a three year period.

The SIU has applied for a Presidential Proclamation to extend its probe into the contracts, but there is no indication this is happening.

Meanwhile, revelations continue about people living the high life after scoring fat contracts for overcharged goods at the hospital.

The delay in expanding the probe fuels suspicions this is because politically protected people benefit from the contracts.

This includes Hangwani Morgan Maumela, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s nephew from his first marriage. Companies linked to him 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.

Furthermore, 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.

This shows that the fishy contracts were also at other hospitals, so the presidential proclamation should cover this as well.

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

The DA will pressure on President Ramaphosa to expedite a broad investigation of Gauteng hospital contracts so that criminal charges are brought against all those who got rich while patients suffered because of poor resources.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 14 February 2023