SIU to pursue officials who resigned amid 'tender fraud' probe at Thembisa Hospital

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will pursue Thembisa Hospital officials who resign in the face of an investigation or disciplinary action by freezing their pension benefits and will institute civil litigation to recover financial losses.

This comes after the Gauteng department of health (GDoH) confirmed on Tuesday that disciplinary action is being taken against hospital officials based on the forensic investigation report handed to the Gauteng premier by the SIU in December 2022. 

The department said employees implicated in the report and those who could have been involved in some of the transactions, have been placed on precautionary suspension while pursuing the disciplinary process.

“The department will consider its options in relation to those that have already terminated their services. Of the nine employees sighted in the SIU report, six officials were suspended as of July 10 to enable disciplinary proceedings to get under way and an investigator has been appointed to deal with the matter. 

“The deputy director for supply chain has since retired, a chief physiotherapist has since resigned and a sessional medical officer has stopped working at the facility,” it said.

The health department added the disciplinary case involving the suspended Gauteng health department CFO and Thembisa Hospital CEO is under way and handled by the premier’s office.

“The two officials have been charged. The first set of hearings has sat, and the next set will sit in October 2023.” 

The SIU handed its report to the premier in December after the death of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran.

On Monday the trial of six men accused of assassinating Deokaran was postponed to August 15 by the Johannesburg high court. Phakamani Hadebe, Zitha Radebe, Nhlangano Ndlovu, Sanele Mbhele, Siphiwe Mazibuko and Siphakanyiswa Dladla briefly appeared at the court. They remain in custody.

TimesLIVE previously reported that Deokaran was shot several times outside her complex in Mondeor in Johannesburg South in 2021. The 53-year-old worked as a senior finance official for the department and was shot shortly after dropping her child at school. 

SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said they welcomed the disciplinary action taken against the officials based on findings and recommendations it made. 

“This week the GDoH announced that it has suspended six of the nine officials that were cited in the SIU’s report,” he said.

He added that the disciplinary action comes after SIU entered into a secondment agreement with the Gauteng provincial government to investigate allegations of corruption, fraud and maladministration in supply chain management processes at Thembisa Hospital.

Based on the findings of the report, the SIU has motivated for a proclamation to further investigate supply chain management at the hospital. 

“Once the proclamation is signed and gazetted, and the SIU investigation findings point to undue benefit, the SIU will pursue officials who resign in the face of an investigation or disciplinary action by freezing their pension benefits and institute civil litigation to recover financial losses suffered by state institutions.

“In addition to investigating corruption, maladministration and malpractice, the SIU also identifies systematic failures, and makes recommendations to improve measures to prevent future losses,” he said.

TimesLIVE