Syndicates bypass alerts

HOSPITAL: CRIME RINGS SLIP PAST EVERY TRIGGER IN THE BOOK

- Ciaran Ryan

LONG LIST. Four matters have been referred to the NPA and 25 to Sahpra for non-compliance.

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We now have a better sense of the looting at Tembisa Hospital, north of Johannesburg, that resulted in the daylight assassination of Gauteng department of health's (GDOH) acting chief director of financial accounting and whistle-blower Babita Deokaran.

Deokaran had flagged R850 million in suspicious tenders at Tembisa Hospital before she was killed in 2021, but the actual amounts identified by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) now exceed R2 billion.

In a report released on Monday, the SIU said it has identified three main syndicates:

► Syndicate X, which remains unnamed as investigations continue, with procurement worth R596 million under review.

► The Maumela Syndicate - headed by Hangwani Morgan Maumela (the nephew of President Cyril Ramaphosa through a previous marriage). The SIU is reviewing 1 728 procurement bundles valued at R816.5 million linked to this syndicate.

Three of the companies awarded contracts under the Maumela Syndicate have ties to Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala, who was arrested in May, and charged with the attempted murder of his former partner, actress Tebogo Thobejane. He also faces charges of conspiracy and money laundering.

► The Mazibuko Syndicate - linked to Rudolph Mazibuko, which secured tenders worth R283 million from Tembisa Hospital.

"It would appear that Tembisa Hospital contributed to lavish lifestyles and the acquisition of phenomenal assets," states the SIU report.

From what we know so far, Tembisa Hospital was a bottomless ATM for these syndicates, with looted funds ending up bankrolling luxury properties in Bantry Bay, Zimbali, Sandton, and Sandhurst, as well as luxury cars (in the case of the Maumela Syndicate) worth R223 million.