LIES AND COVER-UP OVER CHEAP HOUSING FOR GAUTENG OFFICIAL

It's now confirmed. I was lied to last year in an official written reply to my questions by former Gauteng Health MEC Brian Hlongwa who denied that the department's Chief Operating Officer Dr Patrick Maduna lived in a state house for a measly R1000 a month rent.

According to a written reply by new Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu, Dr Maduna has occupied the house at 37 Kompass Crescent, Quellerina in West Johannesburg since January last year.

This was in contravention of official policy, and he has been requested to vacate the house by the end of this month. He will also pay the difference between the amount he was paying (R500 per month in 2008, and R1000 per month in 2009), and the market value rental after the value of the house has been determined.

I estimate that he will have to pay back about R114 000 since a market-related rental is about R7000 for this R1.7 million house.

Dr Maduna  is still being protected, however, as Mahlangu refers only to "appropriate corrective action" against Maduna and the official who authorized his occupation of the house.

It was surely obvious that he was not entitled to the house as it is a benefit solely for a doctor working at the Yusuf Dadoo hospital in Krugersdorp. He should be suspended immediately and disciplinary action taken against him as it is a dismissal offence.

Former Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa's personal assistant, Advocate Mpelegeng Lebeloane, was fired in January 2006 for misusing state property as she had lived in two state houses for free for two years.

When I exposed Maduna's occupation of the house earlier this year, department spokesman JP Louw contended that Maduna had only lived in the house since January this year. This was clearly an attempt to wriggle out of the fact that I was lied to in July last year when I was informed that the Department "does not provide accommodation for Dr Patrick Maduna".

I suspect that Head of Department Sybil Ngcobo covered up for him. The question is whether former MEC Brian Hlongwa knowingly sign a deliberately misleading reply. I will insist that there is a full investigation into why I was lied to, and that Maduna is properly disciplined rather merely paying back a market-related rental.

This illustrates the rot in this department that needs to be cleaned up, otherwise our hospitals have little chance of being fixed up.

Statement by Jack Bloom MPL, Democratic Alliance Gauteng Health Spokesman, June 17 2009

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