The Gauteng provincial government confirmed that it has placed the chief executive Officer (CEO) of the Tembisa provincial tertiary hospital and the chief financial officer (CFO) of the Gauteng department of health on precautionary suspension, effective from Friday, August 26.
Tembisa CEO Ashley Mthunzi and CFO Lerato Madyo have been suspended over serious allegations pertaining to the improper procurement and payment of service providers at Tembisa hospital.
The suspensions come as the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) begins probing suspicious payments worth R850 million, made by the hospital to various entities, most of which are shell companies.
The department added that Mthunzi and Madyo were suspended “to ensure that their presence in the office does not impede the investigation of the serious allegations pertaining to the improper procurement of payment of service providers at Tembisa Hospital”.
It said: “Given the seriousness of the allegations and the possible link to the murder case of Babita Deokaran- former chief director of finance, exemplary public servant and courageous whistle-blower, who was brutally killed a year ago- the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been appointed to investigate these allegations with urgency.”
The statement noted Gauteng Premier David Makhura “welcomed the precautionary suspensions and further confirmed that the Gauteng government has referred the matter to the Special Investigating Unit for forensic investigation on an urgent basis”.
Just days before her assassination, Deokaran said her life could be in danger because of Madyo.
On Thursday, Mthunzi broke his silence on the skinny jeans scandal saying it was a typing error. He said the money was actually for sutures required by surgeons, but the wrong material code was punched in.
The skinny jeans are among the items that Deokaran flagged from Tembisa hospital before she was assassinated at her home in Johannesburg.
Source: News24, Eyewitness News, The Citizen, Times Live, IOL, The South African, image from IOL: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency