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Gauteng MEC for health and wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says the disciplinary hearing of Tembisa Hospital CEO Dr Ashley Mthunzi and chief financial officer Lerato Madyo will begin on October 9. This after more than two years since the murder of Babita Deokaran, who exposed the illegal awarding of tenders to illegitimate companies.
This was revealed in a written reply to DA Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom at the Gauteng legislature.
Bloom said:
Nkomo-Ralehoko said six officials at Tembisa Hospital were suspended and the investigating officer was finalising the charges. This follows the Special Investigating Unit's (SIU) report, which recommended they be disciplined in December last year.
Concerning the “Justice for Babita” petition, which demands the blacklisting of 224 companies implicated in irregular payments by the Tembisa Hospital, Bloom said:
However, Nkomo-Ralehoko said: “Blacklisting can only be done after the outcome of the investigation. Measures have been put in place to ensure there is no re-occurrence.”
READ: Tell us who ordered the hit on Babita, says health minister
Bloom said the DA welcomed this restriction, which was long overdue as some of these companies were still getting hospital contacts late last year.
This is a full year since Mthunzi was placed on precautionary suspension after media investigations revealed that Deokaran tried to stop R100 million in “possibly corrupt” contracts at the hospital and flagged other transactions worth R850 million.
Madyo was also suspended in August last year. According to the MEC, while there were no specific charges against her at this stage, she featured prominently in the allegations because she approved payments.
“I am most concerned that it has taken so long for the disciplinary cases against Mthunzi and Madyo to proceed.”
According to the SIU's investigation report released in December last year, Mthunzi was responsible for “authorising purchase order request forms, which led to the irregular appointment of 13 service providers. The finding is based on the 27 payment documents received and analysed by the SIU”.
Deokaran requested Madyo to do a forensic audit of the suspicious payments at Tembisa Hospital, but she allegedly failed to do so. Bloom said the disciplinary action against Mthunzi and Madyo needed to be concluded as soon as possible to ensure accountability, and it should assist in laying criminal charges and finding out who else was involved in this matter.
“Their positions are currently filled with acting people who lack authority to fix the deep rot that hinders decent care to hospital patients. Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has still not issued a proclamation to expand the SIU probe into the Tembisa hospital payments,” Bloom added.
The delay fuels suspicions this is because politically protected people benefit from the contracts, including Hangwani Morgan Maumela, 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.
