Spending R20m on building only a wall at a yet-to-be-constructed clinic is “a reckless waste of taxpayers’ money by the Gauteng Department of Health, particularly as the existing clinic is in a serious state of disrepair, jeopardising staff and patients’ health and safety”, the DA has said.
In a statement, the party, which said the department has blown millions on nothing but a wall at the new Boitumelo Clinic, south of Johannesburg, is demanding an urgent independent audit of the project to assess spending and delivered value.
The information about the new clinic was disclosed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written response to a question tabled by the DA in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
According to Nkomo-Ralehoko, the construction project was initiated 15 years ago but remains “at the infancy planning stage due to budget constraints”.
This project has had three contractors and several missed completion dates, the latest being 8 March 2021.
The DA said it had conducted an oversight inspection at the project site, and that there is no visible clinic infrastructure – apart from a wall – raising serious questions about the whereabouts of the funds and who has benefited from them.
It said additionally, the clinic is not included in the departmental plans for the 2024/2025 financial year.
It added that spending so much on little more than a perimeter wall “underscores significant financial mismanagement and potential corruption”.
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