A total of 19 contracts in the Eastern Cape Department of Health – ranging from cleaning services to meat deliveries – will undergo scrutiny by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) after having been flagged for questionable procurement processes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed a proclamation on 4 October for the probe, which will also focus on officials from the department who may have bypassed supply chain management (SCM) procedures between August 2022 and October 2024.
The contracts include those for cleaning services at East London’s Duncan Village Day Hospital and the supply and delivery of meat to the Bhisho, Nkqubela and Grey hospitals, among others, reports News24.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the unit would investigate whether there was any procurement that was not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable, or cost-effective or that violated applicable laws, guidelines, or Treasury instructions during the awarding of the contracts.
"This includes fraudulent actions or manipulation of the department's supply chain processes by service providers, employees, or third parties to benefit themselves or others, resulting in unauthorised, irregular, or wasteful expenditure.”
He said beyond investigating maladministration, corruption, and fraud, the SIU would identify systemic failures and recommend measures to prevent future losses.
Last month, burglars broke into the office of the Department of Health and stole equipment and goods worth more than R50 000. The theft took place at the SCM office, which stores crucial documents and is a central point of contact for all procurement processes.
No one has been arrested.
DA Eastern Cape Health spokesperson Jane Cowley said the SIU investigation was an essential step, but that there was concern the scope “is too narrow, potentially leaving significant areas of corruption unaddressed”.
“The DA urges the Presidency to broaden the terms of reference to include earlier financial years and extend its focus beyond isolated tenders. Corruption and maladministration in this department have cost lives, and a limited investigation risks shielding key actors from being held accountable,” she added
EFF Eastern Cape chairperson Zilindile Vena also welcomed the proclamation.
“The maladministration has been happening for a long time and the sooner the investigation is concluded, the better.”
Eastern Cape Health spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase said the department would co-operate with the SIU during its probe.
“The department has in place a supply chain management policy and delegations of authority assigned to various committees across the platform. These will be reviewed if the SIU finds weaknesses in the system.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Accountants uncover ‘parallel’ PPE procurement system in Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape Health involved in questionable R11m Coega contract
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Eastern Cape Health ignores SIU order to end internal corruption probe