book uncovers more corruption

Tembisa Hospital is still beset by graft. Crime reporter Jeff Wicks probes the ongoing malfeasance

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Corruption and graft have become a disquieting mainstay in the Gauteng Health Department.

Tembisa Hospital was chosen to face the brunt of the pandemic, but its leadership was hapless - and people died as a result. It should never have been designated as a centre of care, but the management of the hospital was resolute and firmly on this path. Mothwane had an explanation. With Tembisa seeing Covid-19 patients, the procurement budget swelled and there was more money to steal. He had seen the warning signs and called for an urgent investigation, but he was ignored.

Had someone in authority acted and directed that the hospital's procurement office be audited, those trawling through the payments would likely have found the shell company networks, price gouging and irregular contract manipulation, as Babita did. At that stage, they were already in the system.