Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has welcomed the decision by the Hawks to raid Tembisa Hospital, Ekurhuleni following allegations of tender irregularities to the value of R850 million involving about 227 service providers which happened during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The raid at the hospital comes months after the CEO Ashley Mthunzi was placed on precautionary suspension together with Gauteng Health Chief Financial Officer Lerato Madyo.
It is reported that whistleblower Babita Doekaran – who was a senior manager at the Gauteng Health Department was shot and killed near her home in Winchester Hills, Joburg in August 2021, after flagging dubious contracts at the Tembisa Hospital.
Four days after her murder, six men from KwaZulu Natal were arrested.
Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom said the raid by the Hawks was long overdue and that the DA, which had also complained about rampant corruption at the hospital, hoped there would be suspensions of officials and criminal charges to get rid of the rot once and for all.
It took the Hawks, who were travelling in about 10 cars, some unmarked and a panel van, more than eight hours to sift through documents before loading some into the van. The investigation team also seized electronic gadgets deemed important for the investigation.
Hawks Spokesperson Katlego Mogale alleged that there exist untoward practices in relation to contracts below R 500 000 which have been issued Purchase Orders (PO)s between 2016 and 2022.
“These are reported to have been conducted or allocated in an unlawful and illegal manner and this has resulted in the hospital being prejudiced to the tune of over R850 million. In some of the contracts, hospital employees are said to have received gratification,” she said
Lesufi said, while releasing a Special Investigating Unit report in Midrand, Tembisa Hospital has been under the spotlight for the wrong reasons in terms of procurement matters and in terms of how they run their budget.
He said 227 companies were investigated, and the majority of them could be allegedly linked to kingpins Stefan Govindraju Morgan, Aluwani Maumela Rudolf, Linhle Mazibuko and ANC Ekurhuleni treasure-general Sello Sekhokho.
From 1 January 2020 to 11 October 2022, Morgan allegedly received about R437 Million using different companies while Maumela pocketed more than R336mIllion in contracts. Mazibuko got around R249,581,855 and Sekhokho took home R1.7 million, alleged Lesufi.
“All those responsible must be hunted down. They must answer for their own sins in a court of law and explain themselves.”
Lesufi said he would also release a report on the R500 million AngloGold Ashanti Hospital in Carletonville. “I am here to reassure them [staff] that we have the necessary support and they can do their work’.