Widow of ex-CEO of Tembisa Hospital claims he's a scapegoat in R2bn graft

FORMER Tembisa Hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi, who passed away last year, has been implicated in the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report into corruption and maladministration as a central figure in the R2 billion corruption scandal at the facility.

- MANYANE MANYANE

Despite being implicated as a crucial cog in the massive corruption scandal involving fraudulent contracts and irregular procurement practices, Mthunzi’s wife Lerato claims her husband has been used as a scapegoat to protect “politicians and criminals” who are involved and who stole from the public purse.

Lerato Mthunzi said she will challenge the findings of the SIU.

An interim report, released on Monday, revealed that Mthunzi authorised appointments of non-compliant bidders, and that the purchase orders sent to the Gauteng Health Department contained irregular certificates that were never questioned by provincial employees.

The prices were also inflated. The investigation, initially meant to probe expenditure at the hospital from January 2020 to September 2023, expanded its scope to investigate transactions from 2018 to 2024.

Investigators analysed 2 207 procurement bundles, which revealed irregular, fraudulent and corrupt transactions involving at least three syndicates responsible for the looting of over R2bn that was meant for the provision of healthcare services.

The interim report also highlighted that many goods from the service providers may not have been delivered, indicating a possible failure to meet their contractual obligations for medicine and supplies.