The Democratic Alliance Gauteng is calling for political links to be probed for the R500 million wasted on renovating the Anglo Ashanti Hospital. This follows the Special Tribunal declaration to set aside the decisions of the Gauteng departments of Health and Infrastructure Development to enter into the lease agreement for this property.
Earlier this week, Judge Soma Naidoo found this was inconsistent with the Constitution, invalid and/or unlawful, and it was reviewed and set aside.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is now pursuing a dozen companies that scored R93 million in payments in the R500m project to renovate the hospital leased by the provincial government during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A deeply flawed decision was taken to renovate the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital to treat Covid-19 patients in 2021, despite its poor location in the Far West Rand and the lack of ownership as it was supposedly a donation by the gold mine.
The costs quickly ballooned from R50 million to more than R500 million, and only 147 Covid patients were treated there. The hospital is now abandoned and vandalised.
The SIU found: ”The appointments of these service providers were furthermore dependant on the finalisation of the agreement for acquisition of the hospital. No tender processes were followed by the provincial departments of Health and Infrastructure Development in the appointment of the professional service providers and contractors,” who were telephonically advised of their appointments.
Five officials have been dismissed for their involvement in this matter, but they are scapegoats as it is highly unlikely they acted without the collusion of senior politicians.
The DA Gauteng welcomes the efforts made to recover the money from those who richly benefitted from this scandal, but we will continue to press for criminal charges and a probe into the involvement of ANC politicians in this scandal.