The spotlight shone on Tembisa hospital after it was exposed for the purchase of 200 skinny jeans, 230 facecloths, and 100 leather armchairs. These items were part of hundreds of payments totalling to R850 million that murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran flagged as "possibly fraudulent' as they went to fishy companies and were all under R500000, which means they did not have to go out to tender and were signed off by the hospital CEO.

HOSPITAL MESS

Tembisa hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi denied the purchase of 200 skinny jeans valued at R2,500 each. Last year, ahead of the third COVID-19 wave in June, the hospital reportedly spent R500,000 on non-hospital items. In a statement, the hospital says the skinny jeans were a typing error and what they ordered was surgical sutures used to stitch the wounded. The South African Police Services' Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) paid a surprise visit to the hospital. It was a search and seizure operation at the hospital. Hawks spokeswoman Colonel Katlego Mogale explains that they were investigating irregular contracts awarded by the hospital's supply chain management department. "A search-and-seizure operation was conducted by the Gauteng Hawks serious corruption investigation based on information received of irregular contracts awarded by supply chain management at Tembisa Tertiary Hospital to217 service providers,' she says. "Some of the contracts, hospital employees are said to have received gratification. The investigation team will seize all relevant materials, including documents and electronic gadgets deemed to be important in the progress of the investigation.'

HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED

Colonel Mogale says they were collecting documents and electronic gadgets in relation to the fraud and corruption investigations and it was discovered that these purchases were signed off by the suspended hospital's CEO, Ashley Mthunzi who had the power to sign off any amount less than R500 000. Gauteng DA health Shadow MEC spokesman, Jack Bloom says, the DA has welcomed the Hawks raid on the Tembisa hospital to get incriminating documents about all the suspicious payments there. "This is long overdue, and we hope there will be suspensions of officials there and criminal charges and we get rid of the rot once and for all. Documents needed to be seized and they need to be used for criminal prosecutions. I hope that the rot of that hospital is excised as soon as possible so that money is spent properly, and patients and staff don't suffer.'