A former CFO of Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, who was credited with turning around the finances of the hospital before being poached by the City of Johannesburg for these very skills, now faces a disciplinary hearing for blowing the whistle on dodgy contracts worth R8.2bn at the department of public safety.
Sarika Lakraj-Naidoo, director of finance and supply chain management in public safety, submitted numerous protected disclosures on fruitless, wasteful and irregular expenditure regarding 12 matters within the department.
In response, according to a charge sheet, the city has alleged “gross misconduct” against Lakraj-Naidoo, including harassment, bullying and racism, reports News24.
The South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu), which is representing Lakraj-Naidoo in the matter, has described the charges as “vexatious”, with employee representative Jack Mokalapa saying she has been intimidated, including having threats to her life, receiving threatening phone calls, being followed and having vehicles parked outside her residence taking pictures of her at her home.
The manner of intimidation is remarkably similar to that received by Gauteng Health whistle-blower Babita Deokaran before her assassination.
Lakraj-Naidoo uncovered illicit transactions and graft within the department, and made several protected disclosures to the city, reporting these matters to the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which are still investigating.
“Lakraj-Naidoo… has been fighting unauthorised expenditure, dodgy tenders and corruption,” said Mokalapa. “You have somebody who is experienced, has turned around Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital as a CFO and was appointed to public safety for that reason… when she raised these concerns, people implicated in the wrongdoing formulated these dodgy charges against her.
“It is in the public interest that the more than R2bn budget with which she deals is appropriated for the correct use and not misappropriated by criminal elements in public safety,” he added. It is “her job to stem irregular and unauthorised expenditure as director of finance in the city’s department”.
The charge sheet dated 12 October 2022 accuses Lakraj-Naidoo of “gross misconduct” for spreading unfounded allegations of corruption against her subordinate, alleging her employee received an R800 000 bribe from a service provider.
She has also been accused of “conduct unbecoming of a senior manager”, creating “disharmony in the workplace”.
The disciplinary matter was postponed to December.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
The high price medical whistle-blowers have to pay
Assassination of whistleblowing Gauteng Health finance director
‘Corruption mafia’ claimed to be manipulating hospital tenders