MORE QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT R265M GAUTENG HOSPITAL SECURITY CONTRACTS

The national government's announced review of tender outsourcing in provincial health departments raises more questions about the Gauteng Health Department's R265 million award of hospital security contracts in September last year.

I am very suspicious about these two-year contracts which were awarded in a rushed manner without the input of hospital managers.

We also appear to be grossly over-paying as the annual hospital security costs have more than doubled from the R113 million paid to private security companies in 2013.

The Hawks are already investigating allegations of fraud, corruption and money laundering with regard to the new hospital security contracts.

I have it on good authority that the department's suspension of Mr Abey Marokoane, Chief Director of Risk Management and Internal Control, is related to allegations of corruption in the award of these contracts.

Marokoane is currently out on bail after being arrested on November 27 last year and appearing in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria the next day.

Former Health MEC Hope Papo refused to call for new security tenders because he said that national policy was moving towards in-house security for hospitals rather than outsourcing.

The question is why MEC Mahlangu pushed ahead so speedily with these contracts,

Mahlangu has also refused to give me the prices quoted by other security companies for each hospital, which I why I have submitted an application for it to be revealed under the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

I will  continue to push for more information so that the truth is revealed about these contracts.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, January 13 2015

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