HOW R2bn PUBLIC FUNDS WERE LOOTED

DA reveals that it will closely monitor referrals made by the SIU's interim report

- SIYABONGA SITHOLE

AMID calls for Babita Doekoran to be honoured for her role in uncovering corruption at Tembisa Hospital, the DA in Gauteng has revealed that it will closely monitor the referrals made by the SIU's interim report released yesterday into corruption at the facility.

This includes 116 disciplinary referrals and the four criminal matters that have been sent to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for disciplinary procedures, with 14 referrals currently under investigation.

According to SIU (Special Investigating Unit) head Andy Mothibi, the syndicates involved in Tembisa Hospital corruption siphoned off more than R2 billion through fraudulent tenders and the circumvention of proper tender processes.

The interim report was prompted by whistleblower Babita Deokaran, who flagged irregular tenders at the hospital shortly before her assassination in 2021.

Deokaran was a senior official in the Gauteng Health Department's finance unit and flagged R850 million in suspicious payments out of Tembisa Hospital in the weeks preceding her assassination.