The delay in the presidential proclamation needed to expand the probe into the Tembisa Hospital payments scandal, exposed by slain Gauteng Health whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, has infuriated the DA, which will now exert pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa to expedite a broad investigation of the province’s hospital contracts.
In December last year, a preliminary Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report found that networks of shell corporations had banked more than R1bn in suspicious payments from the impoverished hospital.
The SIU had asked Ramaphosa to authorise a broad-scale investigation through a presidential proclamation – which is yet to be issued, reports News24.
The DA’s health spokesperson in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, said the delay was suspicious “because politically protected people benefit from the contracts”.
“This includes Hangwani Morgan Maumela, Ramaphosa’s nephew from his first marriage. Companies linked to him scored R356m from Tembisa Hospital over the past three years, as well as R22m from Mamelodi Hospital and R2.4m from other hospitals.
“Furthermore, the three companies owned by ANC bigwig Sello Sekhokho got 225 contracts worth R84m in the past three years from other Gauteng hospitals. This was in addition to R14.5m from 55 Tembisa Hospital contracts.”
Bloom said this was further evidence “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,” he added.
In November last year, Ramaphosa denied knowing Maumela.
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