Unions back Cachalia warning: Tembisa Hospital corruption may plague other public institutions
The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) has called for urgent and comprehensive investigations into corruption across all public hospitals and government institutions.
This follows comments by Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia, in which he stated that Tembisa Hospital may not be the only institution with immense corruption allegations.
PSA spokesperson Madimetja Mautla said the union shares Cachalia’s concerns that the rot may be far more widespread than initially believed.
“The problem is not only isolated to Tembisa Hospital. Books and supply chains of these hospitals should be checked so that we can eliminate this corruption.
Speaking at a Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation event on Sunday, Cachalia said: “We are all rightly outraged by the brazen shamelessness and cruelty of the grand larceny at the Tembisa hospital. And I’m sure it’s not the only hospital that has this problem.
He said corruption at Tembisa Hospital poses a threat to national security and may be mirrored in other health facilities.
Mautla said: “We agree with the Acting Minister that other institutions may be implicated and not only the hospitals but other government institutions as well.”
He further suggested that even the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) should be investigated.
“There have been complaints from workers in that institution that they are forced to process multi-million-rand tenders without following proper procedures,” he said. “So, corruption is widespread; Tembisa Hospital does not have a monopoly on it.”
He accused the government of failing to act on corruption despite repeated public pledges to do so.
“They are all talk, no action. We want to see decisiveness from the government against anyone who is accused of malfeasance or corruption. We want them in jail where they belong because all this money, they are taking from the state, is affecting South Africa’s poorest.”
Cachalia described the corruption as part of a systemic national crisis.
“One must only think for a moment how public procurement works in our country. Together with organised crime and the infiltration of our structures or institutions of political authority, bureaucracies, and economic sectors.
“I think that this represents a threat to our national security. This is not ordinary crime,” he added.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) Gauteng Provincial Secretary, Mzikayise Tshontshi, told IOL that the provincial health department must act urgently.
“All those responsible must face the might of the law. We are of the view that what happened in Tembisa is just a tip of the iceberg and a thorough going investigation into all contracts awarded by the department is necessary,” Tshontshi said.
More than R2 billion was allegedly siphoned from Tembisa Hospital through corrupt procurement deals, believed to have been orchestrated by three syndicates.
These include the Maumela syndicate, reportedly linked to businessman Hangwani Maumela, alleged to have taken about R816 million; the Mazibuko syndicate, associated with Rudolph Mazibuko, allegedly responsible for R283 million; and a third group, referred to as ‘Syndicate X,’ suspected of funnelling roughly R596 million through fraudulent contracts
IOL News