Prosecute the R2bn Tembisa Hospital Syndicate and Jail Them All
Press Statement by Dr Kgosi Letlape MP
ActionSA Member of Parliament
ActionSA demands urgent action against those implicated in the looting of over R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital, exposed in the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) interim report released today. This is more than corruption. It is the theft of healthcare from the most vulnerable.
While patients died or suffered awaiting treatment, corrupt actors exploited Gauteng Health Department procurement systems for their own profit. They must be held to the fullest extent of the law, barred forever from state contracts, and forced to return every rand stolen.
The SIU has identified three organised syndicates behind the heist of critical resources, namely:
Maumela Syndicate: R816 million in fraudulent contracts;
Mazibuko Syndicate: 651 procurement bundles worth R283 million; and
Syndicate X: 1,237 bundles valued at R596 million.
In total, 207 service providers were involved under 4,501 purchase orders, exposing a deeply coordinated assault on the public purse. This is the same corruption linked to the 2021 assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. She tried to expose this rot, but paid with her life.
Despite strong SIU findings, accountability remains stalled. Government continues to drag its feet while implicated suppliers remain free to win state contracts. It is for this reason that ActionSA has lodged a complaint with the Public Protector to enforce implementation of SIU recommendations and compel decisive consequence management.
Looting healthcare budgets isn’t a technical crime but one that kills people. Patients were denied quality care while funds were syphoned off. ActionSA will continue to fight to ensure that every asset is seized, every perpetrator prosecuted, and the dignity of those who rely on public health is defended.
Prosecute the R2bn Tembisa Hospital Syndicate and Jail Them All
ActionSA demands urgent action against those implicated in the looting of over R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital, exposed in the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) interim report released today. This is more than corruption. It is the theft of healthcare from the most vulnerable.
While patients died or suffered awaiting treatment, corrupt actors exploited Gauteng Health Department procurement systems for their own profit. They must be held to the fullest extent of the law, barred forever from state contracts, and forced to return every rand stolen.
The SIU has identified three organised syndicates behind the heist of critical resources, namely:
In total, 207 service providers were involved under 4,501 purchase orders, exposing a deeply coordinated assault on the public purse. This is the same corruption linked to the 2021 assassination of whistleblower Babita Deokaran. She tried to expose this rot, but paid with her life.
Despite strong SIU findings, accountability remains stalled. Government continues to drag its feet while implicated suppliers remain free to win state contracts. It is for this reason that ActionSA has lodged a complaint with the Public Protector to enforce implementation of SIU recommendations and compel decisive consequence management.
Looting healthcare budgets isn’t a technical crime but one that kills people. Patients were denied quality care while funds were syphoned off. ActionSA will continue to fight to ensure that every asset is seized, every perpetrator prosecuted, and the dignity of those who rely on public health is defended.