Note to editors: Please find the attached English soundbite by Alan Fuchs MPL.
The Gauteng Health Department’s decision to reinstate senior officials implicated in the R500 million AngloGold Ashanti Hospital scandal before the conclusion of their disciplinary hearings is a direct assault on accountability and good governance. Premier Panyaza Lesufi must explain why these individuals were allowed to return to work before their names were cleared, only to be fired later, highlighting a chaotic and unprincipled approach to consequence management.
The AngloGold Ashanti Hospital refurbishment, initially budgeted at R50 million, but ballooning to R500 million, was an unmitigated disaster. The hospital remains abandoned and stripped, yet taxpayers foot the bill for the waste of R500 million.
The nine officials from Health and Infrastructure who were suspended were used as scapegoats by the politicians who ultimately decided to proceed with the refurbishment. These officials were found guilty of misleading their principals, abdicating their professional responsibilities, and unlawfully appointing contractors to do the work. These suspended officials spent 33 months at home on full salaries.
Through the Gauteng Legislature, the DA Gauteng will ensure Premier Lesufi answers the following questions:
Why were these officials reinstated before the disciplinary findings were released?
What changed between their return to work and their subsequent firing?
Why did the Department of Infrastructure Development take a stricter stance by disallowing the reinstatement of their officials by indicating that regulations disallowed the officials from returning to work?
This inconsistency between government departments erodes public trust and raises concerns about political interference in disciplinary processes.
The DA Gauteng believes that honest, accountable governance is non-negotiable. A DA-led government would ensure transparency in disciplinary processes and enforce strict consequence management. Suspended officials would not have their suspensions stealthily rescinded and return to work before their cases have been completed.
The ANC’s governance and ethics failures continue to cost Gauteng residents. Only the DA can fix Gauteng, ensuring corruption is rooted out and officials are held accountable.
I have written to Premier Lesufi demanding answers, but as expected, he has not responded. He can run but he cannot hide.
Gauteng deserves a government that prioritises transparency and accountability, not backroom deals and inconsistent governance.