The main entrance of the Tembisa Hospital in Tembisa near Kempton Park, 20 January 2020. Photo: The Citizen/Neil McCartney | Insert: ANC flag photo by Gallo Images/Thapelo Maphakela
Several trends are dominating the run-up to the ANC Gauteng elective conference taking place over the weekend.
Widespread use of money to buy votes, the alleged use of the public purse to fund personal campaigns for leadership positions, swapping of slate allegiance and the emergence of kingmakers.
Moreover, the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) called on the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) to probe allegations of a multimillion-rand tender fraud at Tembisa Hospital.
These investigations will turn the spotlight on health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi.
This as Ekurhuleni regional chair Mzwandile Masina and finance MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko backs Lebogang Maile against the widely preferred Panyaza Lesufi for the position of provincial chair – as confirmed to The Citizen by ANC insiders.
“We are likely to see quite a tussle between the two candidates during elections at the conference,” said one source.
Seen as ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile’s protege, Maile is said to be supported by Gauteng’s biggest region Ekurhuleni, part of Johannesburg and Tshwane regions, while Lesufi has been endorsed by most regions in the province.
Sanco, which has condemned the practice by ANC leaders of using money to buy votes during elective conferences, called on the party to exclude those campaigning for office bearer positions from serving in government.
Sanco coordinator Mpho Sesedinyane said: “ANC public representatives serving in the provincial government should start making an introspection on the scale of corruption taking place in the departments they lead.
“The ANC should adopt a position of excluding its leaders from occupying public office because of the looting of state resources – instead of driving service delivery.
“If one looks at the upcoming ANC Gauteng conference, it is now the MECs [who] are fighting each other for political power.
“Sanco can confirm uncovering serious corruption at Tembisa Hospital – involving the CEO and the MEC.
“Due to the scale and nature of this corruption, a whistle-blower came to Sanco and asked for intervention.
“They gave us volumes of documents and information, confirming the scale of corruption taking place.
“This involves the irregular appointment of service providers at the home of the CEO where people get purchase orders and the practice to escalate price figures.
“The MEC has tolerated this under her watch because she is busy funding a political campaign to be elected in the upcoming ANC Gauteng elective conference.
“The scale of corruption involved more than R10 million, squandered through irregular tenders and appointment of service providers.
“It is our view that this is a disservice to our people, with patients dying instead of getting proper treatment.
“We have written to the office of premier David Makhura, giving his office five days to respond to what we have uncovered.
“We are in discussions with the SIU and should be concluding things between now and Wednesday.”
Responding to Sanco allegations, Gauteng health spokesperson Kwara Kekana said: “MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi has taken note of a statement released by Sanco in Gauteng, where the organisation claims to be in possession of damning evidence from a whistle-blower about allegations of corruption at the Tembisa Hospital.
“The MEC would like to urge Sanco to lay criminal charges and submit the evidence in their possession to relevant law enforcement agencies for further investigation.”
The ANC in Gauteng was not available for comment at the time of going to press.
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