SIU recovers R13.5m from nurse accused of bribery

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) says it has recovered R13.5 million from Tembisa Hospital nurse Zacharia Chisele, 53, who was arrested this week after allegedly attempting to bribe a Hawks investigating officer.

- SIMON MAJADIBODU

The SIU welcomed the arrest of Chisele, an employee at the hospital, as part of its ongoing probe into procurement irregularities at the Gauteng health facility.

According to SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, the arrest follows an extensive investigation which found that Chisele received unlawful payments from various service providers at the hospital between January 1, 2020 and September 1, 2023.

“In April 2025, the SIU referred the matter to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), and the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) for criminal prosecution and asset recovery,” Kganyago said.

He added that in November 2025, Chisele paid R13 530.904.27 to the SIU, representing a portion of the proceeds of corruption identified during the probe.

The SIU’s civil efforts to recover the full amount remain underway. Kganyago said the SIU has so far identified corrupt payments totalling R122 228.000 linked to officials and employees of the Gauteng Department of Health (GDOH) and the Tembisa Hospital.