Image Source: SABC News
South Africa – The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the Gauteng Government’s decision to take disciplinary action against nine officials from the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) and the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID).
These officials were found to have played a role in irregularities surrounding the refurbishment of the Anglo Ashanti Hospital in 2022.
Following the SIU’s recommendations, the Office of the Premier initiated disciplinary proceedings, leading to significant consequences for those involved. Five senior officials were dismissed, two received final written warnings, and one left their position before the hearing was concluded. One official was acquitted.
“The evidence gathered by the SIU indicates that around March 19, 2020, the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital (AGA Hospital) refurbishment project began under the GDID on behalf of the GDoH.”
“However, during this process, no supply chain management policies or procedures were followed when procuring service providers and contractors for the refurbishment,” said Special Investigating Unit spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
Furthermore, the GDoH was misled into believing that only minor renovations were needed at the hospital, violating the Public Finance Management Act and National Treasury regulations. This led to unnecessary and wasteful spending on the project.
The investigation was carried out under Proclamation No. R. 23 of 2020, which authorised the SIU to look into procurement irregularities in state institutions during the National State of Disaster.
“The disciplinary actions show that state institutions are acting on the results of the SIU investigation and implementing the consequences to hold officials implicated to account, recover assets and financial losses incurred by these institutions, and prevent further losses.”
“We urge all state institutions to take decisive action to clean up our government and state entities from the corruption that has plagued them,” said Kganyago.
