Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has criticised the provincial health department for not blacklisting companies implicated in corruption tenders at Tembisa Hospital.
DA health spokesperson Jack Bloom said it was wrong for the department not to blacklist 12 companies that received R381 million in contracts from Gauteng hospitals over the last three years.
During answers in the Gauteng legislature, Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said: “A company can only be prevented from doing business with the department if the matter has been investigated and if the investigation report recommend that the company must be prevented from doing business with the department.”
News24 previously reported that the companies are linked to Hangwani Morgan Maumela – a family member of President Cyril Ramaphosa – and his relative Aluwani Titus Maumela.
The Presidency strenuously denied any association, insisting the two had no contact and no relationship.
Of the 12 companies, Hangwani is a director of nine, while Aluwani controls the other three.
A purchase order report attached as an addendum, showed that Tembisa Hospital ordered 50 flat-bottomed round bowls at a cost of R496 555 on 25 May 2020 from Sunshine Gauteng Trading, registered under Aluwani.
On 27 September 2021, Tembisa Hospital ordered 50 stainless steel kidney dishes at R456 960 from Major Goods Suppliers, registered under Hangwani.
Nkomo-Ralehoko previously told the legislature that the companies did not have SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) approval to sell medical products.
Sahpra has since announced it is investigating “a breach of the Medicines and Related Substances Act”.
CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlel said they held public safety up as an important cornerstone of their mandate.
Semete-Makokotle said:
Some of the contracts the 12 companies won were identified as “possibly fraudulent” by murdered whistleblower Babita Deokaran.
Deokaran was assassinated outside her house in Johannesburg South last year.
Bloom said there was no need to wait for investigations before blackisting the companies.
“My view is we don’t need to wait for the conclusion of a lengthy investigation as it is already admitted that the companies were not compliant in various ways and should not have got the contracts. This price gouging should surely disqualify companies from any further contracts.”
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