A preservation order has been granted to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) by the Special Tribunal to freeze the pension benefits of former Limpopo Health Department HoD Thokozani Florence Mhlongo, who has been linked to irregular expenditure of R180m relating to PPE items.
The order interdicts the Government Employees Pension Fund from paying out or transferring any benefits due to her while civil proceedings are under way to recover losses suffered by the department because of the dodgy COVID-19 tenders, said SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
“Dr Mhlongo resigned with immediate effect in June 2022, in the face of a disciplinary hearing … SIU investigations into the affairs of the department relating and the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE),” said Kganyago
The investigation uncovered irregularities in the appointment of service providers for the supply and delivery of PPE items, resulting in the department incurring irregular expenditure of around R180m, reports News24.
She apparently also authorised the procurement and payment of 10 000 cellphones to the value of R10m for COVID-19 household screening. “The department could only manage to distribute 388 of those cellphones between September 2020 and March 2021, and they were distributed without the required screening application,” added Kganyago.
The SIU investigation also revealed that after the cellphones were counted while in storage, the department distributed 9 588 cellphones to community healthcare workers for COVID-19 vaccination without the required application installed.
"The SIU will continue to pursue officials who resign in the face of an investigation, or in the face of disciplinary action, by freezing their pension benefits and instituting civil litigation to recover financial losses suffered by state institutions,” said Kganyago.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Limpopo health chief resigns amid multimillion rand PPE tender probe
Limpopo Health chief and CFO charged over R125m PPE scandal
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No action against Limpopo Health officials involved in dodgy tender