DA blows whistle on Gauteng Health Department: Shocking revelations of R708m security contracts spark full-scale probe!

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has revealed that Gauteng hospitals spend almost R710 million irregularly on security contracts yearly. According to News24, the provincial health department is investigating the alleged irregular expenditure. In addition, Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko has expressed concern over the absence of a fixed long-term security contract and stated that Gauteng Health is advertising a new tender, which they expect to be awarded in the new financial year.

In the meantime, the department is going through more than R59 million on month-to-month security contracts at its facilities. They last advertised the security tenders, awarded in November 2014, which were supposed to have expired two years later. The DA suspects that politically connected individuals are benefiting from these contracts, which are of poor value and have led to significant thefts at hospitals such as Charlotte Maxeke, Johannesburg and Chris Hani Baragwanath.

The DA has pledged to closely monitor the award of new security contracts to ensure they are cost-effective and given to competent companies that will protect hospitals. The department’s Internal Control and Risk Management units are inspecting the security contracts, and consequence management will be implemented based on the outcomes of the internal investigation, according to Nkomo-Ralehoko.

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Picture: Twitter / NkomoNomantu