A provincial government official linked to the massive fraud scandal at Tembisa Hospital has been appointed head of department for Johannesburg’s Public Safety portfolio, reports The Citizen.
In 2025, Lesiba Malotana was subjected to a lifestyle audit by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which recommended a forensic investigation into how he may have benefited through his relationship with service providers implicated in fraud worth hundreds of millions.
At the time, he was CEO of Gauteng Emergency Medical Services’ special projects division, having been with the provincial health department for more than a decade in various positions.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi suspended Malotana from his acting HoD role in October 2025, later noting the SIU allegations after Malotana’s failure to challenge his suspension.
“The SIU report presented substantive evidence of possible serious misconduct, making a compelling case for a thorough forensic investigation,” Lesufi’s office said in November.
Yet despite the murkiness around Malotana’s past, the City of Johannesburg believes the measures it has put in place are sufficient to guard against potential wrongdoing.
The position Malotana has filled had been vacant since at least February 2023, and the city re-advertised it in January. He has been appointed on a permanent contract from 1 September, subject to a six-month probation period, regular lifestyle audits, and a commitment to disclose any “adverse investigative findings” against him.
“To mitigate potential risks and strengthen accountability, the city has put in place rigorous contractual safeguards,” the city said last week, but former DA shadow MEC for health and now Deputy Minister for Water & Sanitation, Jack Bloom, has shared his disdain for the appointment.
“I am absolutely appalled that he is appointed to such a high position of public trust after failing his lifestyle audit and being investigated by the SIU,” he told The Citizen.
“His appointment shows that he still has political protection, and it highlights the moral bankruptcy of those who appointed him.”
‘No consequences’
The SIU’s Tembisa Hospital investigation found that procurement processes were manipulated to bypass expenditure thresholds, noting 13 companies and three syndicates orchestrating matters.
Malotana’s company did business with these service providers and received at least R1.6m in undisclosed cash payments, it revealed. He has not been found guilty on any charges and, after being booted out of his job at the provincial health department, was hired as a senior manager at the co-operative governance and traditional affairs department.
Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga questioned how officials implicated in wrongdoing could jump between government appointments.
“[We] demand that Premier Lesufi blacklist these officials and register their names on the national Department of Public Service and Administration central register for verification of dismissals and resignations pending disciplinary cases,” he said.
“Reshuffling implicated officials from one department to another does not eradicate corruption: it conveys a message that corrupt individuals will face no consequences.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
More Tembisa fraud revelations likely after audit records enforcement
Gauteng Health HoD suspension ruled valid