The DA has called for health director-general Sandile Buthelezi to be suspended pending the outcome of investigations into alleged corruption.
Buthelezi and two other senior health department officials were arrested on Monday and charged with fraud and theft for allegedly diverting money from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria to pay for an internal disciplinary inquiry.
Buthelezi is also under investigation for allegedly soliciting a R500,000 bribe from a construction company.
“It is absolutely unfathomable that a DG arrested for corruption and fraud is still running the department today,” said the DA’s health spokesperson Michèle Clark.
“[Health] minister Aaron Motsoaledi has allowed this situation to unfold without clear action, raising serious concerns about accountability at the department’s highest levels. The minister and President Cyril Ramaphosa cannot afford to sit on their hands while allegations of corruption engulf the leadership of the national health system,” she said.
Directors-general are appointed by the president.
Motsoaledi is still consulting his legal team and the Presidency on whether Buthelezi could continue with his duties, said health department spokesperson Foster Mohale.
“The minister is scheduled to conclude his consultation process by the end of the week [and] will then make an announcement,” he said.
While Buthelezi’s bail conditions bar him from entering his workplace, it is unclear whether this means he has to stop work entirely, the minister told MPs on Wednesday.
News24 reported this week that the disciplinary inquiry was established to target a whistleblower, citing internal health department documents. Motsoaledi denied this is the case, telling MPs no whistleblower will be victimised on his watch.
“I want to assure the committee that I will never participate in any process that involves charging or persecuting a whistle-blower. I have worked in home affairs, and without whistle-blowers the state cannot survive,” he said, referring to his previous tenure as minister of home affairs.
The two other officials arrested on Monday are the health department’s deputy director-general for hospital services, Percy Mahlati, and CFO Phaswa Mamogale.
The service provider at the centre of the allegations, Nokuzola Mafunda, was arrested on Thursday and has also been charged with fraud and theft.
All four accused were granted bail of R10,000 and are expected to appear in the specialised commercial crimes court in Pretoria on June 3.
It is alleged that in 2023 more than R1m was awarded to Mafunda in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act. The funds were intended for Covid-related activities, according to Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale. The Hawks launched an investigation into the matter in 2024.
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