Gauteng Health Department CFO Lerato Madyo and Tembisa Hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi have been suspended with immediate effect, to ensure they don’t “impede the investigation into serious allegations concerning improper procurement and payment of service providers” at the hospital.
The department said the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) was investigating the case, and the “possible link to the murder case of Babita Deokaran – former chief director of finance and whistle-blower who was brutally killed a year ago – with urgency”.
Premier David Makhura welcomed the precautionary suspensions, saying head of the Gauteng Health Department, Dr Nomonde Nolutshungu, had told him she had received threats from “anonymous sources”.
Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela had been told to take appropriate steps to address these threats and find those responsible, reports TimesLIVE.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Tembisa Hospital pays footballer and wife R500,000 for skinny jeans contract
Uncovering the 200 suspicious Tembisa Hospital contracts flagged by Deokaran
Sanco alleges multimillion rand tender fraud at Tembisa Hospital