One arrest must follow another in fight against NC corruption

10 March 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the eventual anti-corruption action taken by the Hawks today in respect of the arrest of a senior official at the Department of Health.

The DA has long voiced our concern about inherent corruption within the Northern Cape Health Department, which we have reason to believe is rotten to the core.

With a number of damning allegations having come out of the Auditor General’s report on Covid-19 related corruption, which is no doubt only the tip of the iceberg, we were gobsmacked that these cases had not been referred to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), as they had in other provinces.

With particular reference to the Health Department, the AG’s office found that there was no proof of delivery for Covid-19 related orders totalling R9,3 million. Random people signed on so-called deliveries, whereby Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) stock was chaotically dumped and stored, ultimately making it impossible to record and account for stock received.

Two contracts to the value of R43,87 million were awarded to companies that were in the process of being deregistered. A joint venture was also set up for what we assume to be a front company, to enable a company that specialises in food and accommodation to be awarded a contract worth R13,92 million.

Other companies were further registered just days before being awarded contracts.

We hope now that law enforcement has focussed its attention on the Health Department, that the many other cases that continue to be protected, will also see the light of day.

We appeal to Premier Zamani Saul not to wait for the SIU to occupy their offices in the Northern Cape, before passing on critical information to them for further investigation.

Every day that passes, corruption sets in a bit deeper into health. Ultimately it is the poor and sick people of the province who are affected.

Issued byHarold McGluwa,DA Northern Cape Provincial Leader, 10 March 2021