In the Tembisa Hospital corruption scandal, pressure is mounting for arrests. The Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has called the hospital a "active crime scene" and demanded that those responsible for the embezzlement of public funds be taken swiftly.
This follows a protest held on October 22 by OUTA members outside Tembisa Hospital, where officials were handed, a memorandum demanding accountability after a damning Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report exposed the looting of over R2 billion, a scandal allegedly linked to businessmen Vusi “Cat” Matlala and Morgan Maumela at the heart of one of Gauteng’s largest healthcare corruption cases.
The organisation called for the immediate arrest of all those implicated in the corruption scandal, stressing that arrests alone are not enough.
OUTA member Ali Gule praised the SIU for its work in uncovering the R2 billion corruption scandal at Tembisa Hospital, saying the organisation has been committed to justice since the murder of whistleblower Babita Deokaran.
However, he stressed that more must be done, noting that “Tembisa Hospital, much like the Gauteng Department of Health, has made headlines for all the wrong reasons.”
Gule said over 100 Tembisa Hospital officials have been implicated as enablers in the corruption scandal, warning that more names are likely to surface.
“They are regarded as enablers. We cannot rule out the possibility that there's more that still will be implicated. The corruption investigation must go beyond the hospital,” he said.
He added that the rot extends beyond the hospital, recalling how Deokaran was assassinated just 19 days after flagging irregular payments.
“You'll recall that the former CFO in Gauteng, Department, that's where when Babita alerted her about the corruption taking place at the hospital, 19 days thereafter Babita was assassinated, as if that was not bad enough, Babita put on hold 104 million that still needed to be investigated. But after she was murdered, the money was released. So, there's a lot happening at that facility,” he said.
Gule stressed that officials implicated in the Tembisa Hospital corruption scandal must be suspended immediately and those found guilty must face arrest and imprisonment.
“We need to see people in orange overalls,” he said. He insisted that the stolen R2 billion should be returned to the hospital, not the treasury, to fund critical needs such as ambulances, beds, and doctors.
He emphasised that declaring the hospital an active crime scene was not meant to halt services, but to ensure accountability.
“The investigations must be fast-tracked, and if necessary, even the pensions of those involved should be frozen”, warning that corruption likely extends beyond Tembisa Hospital into the broader health department.
The Star
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