The Special Tribunal has granted the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) an order to freeze R7.9m in bank accounts of companies irregularly awarded tenders by Gauteng Health to refurbish the largely unused AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Hospital near Carletonville for COVID-19 purposes.
According to The Citizen, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the order against Pro Serve Consulting and Thenga Holdings was granted on Friday by Judge Lebogang Modiba.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura opened the multimillion-rand 181-bed hospital in May with great fanfare but it has remained largely unused and treated very few COVID-19 patients after the provincial government controversially used R500m from COVID funds to refurbish the hospital.
Kganyago said they had reasonable grounds to believe the funds held by Pro Serve Consulting and Thenga Holdings were the proceeds of unlawful activity. There was also no approved budget for the refurbishments, which increased from an estimated R50m to more than R500m.
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