Approximately 184 Gauteng Health staff members have private businesses that have dealt with government departments including their own. News24 reports that this is according to the Gauteng Democratic Alliance’s (DA) health spokesperson, Jack Bloom who said Gauteng Health had revealed these developments in an oral reply to the Gauteng legislature, in response to questions from him.
The report says in the reply – dated 30 September, 2019 – Gauteng Health MEC Dr Bandile Masuku provided more details. His reply revealed that staff members were involved in a wide range of businesses, including medical supplies, security, funeral services, food, events, management, health and medical publishing, and emergency care.
According to the provincial health department, the 184 employees were identified through the Auditor General's report of 2018/19.
"I look forward to the detailed report that has been promised, which should be followed by strict discipline of staff who are caught out in this matter," Bloom said in response.
Masuku said the head of department was expected to shed light on which contracts were involved, how much money was paid out to them, and whether any disciplinary action had been taken.
Bloom has expressed concern about staff doing business with the department, which has been the subject of "many corruption scandals".
"I am concerned that employees doing business with their own department has taken so long to uncover. This is highly irregular in a department that has suffered many corruption scandals," he said.
[link url="https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/184-gauteng-health-department-employees-doing-business-with-their-own-department-da-20191006"]News24 report[/link]