The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the outcomes of a disciplinary inquiry initiated against nine officials from the Gauteng Department of Health and the Department of Infrastructure Development.
The officials faced charges relating to alleged irregularities in awarding contracts for refurbishing the Anglo Ashanti Hospital in 2022.
Following the SIU's consequence management recommendations, the Office of the Premier took disciplinary action against the implicated officials employed by the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) and the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID).
The SIU’s investigation uncovered evidence of financial misconduct involving several individuals from GDoH and GDID.
The Gauteng Government acted on the SIU's recommendations and charged the officials involved. The outcome is as follows:
- Head of Infrastructure Development: GDoH was dismissed.
- Acting Head of Department: GDID was dismissed.
- Acting Director, Health Infrastructure: GDID was dismissed.
- Acting Chief Financial Officer and Head of SCM: GDID was dismissed.
- Acting Deputy Director-General, Health Branch: GDID) was dismissed.
- Project Manager, Infrastructure Development: GDoH issued with a final written warning.
- Acting Chief Director, Health Infrastructure: GDID issued with a final written warning.
- Project Manager: GDID, their contract employment ended during the hearing.
- Acting Deputy Director-General, Hospital Services: GDoH was acquitted.
The evidence gathered by the SIU indicatds that around 19 March 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.
Furthermore, the GDoH was misled into believing that only minor renovations were needed at the AGA Hospital.
This is a contravention of the Public Finance Management Act and National Treasury’s regulations, causing the GDoH to incur fruitless and wasteful for goods and services supplied.
The SIU was mandated through Proclamation No. R. 23 of 2020 to investigate the affairs of all State institutions regarding procurement or contracting for goods, works, and services during or in respect of the National State of Disaster by or on behalf of State institutions.
“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,” said Special Investigating Unit Kaizer Kganyago.
“We urge all state institutions to take decisive action to clean up our government and state entities from the corruption that has plagued them,” Kganyago said. – SAnews.gov.za
