Report: Lesufi ‘ignores calls to release findings’ on R2bn graft

Gauteng premier Panyaza is allegedly sitting on numerous damning forensic reports about corruption estimated to be R2 billion in value, allegedly committed by departmental officials between 2017 and 2024.

However, Lesufi is said to have ignored all calls to release the findings into graft reports involving bureaucrats in the health, social development, transport, infrastructure and education departments because the officials are allegedly politically connected to the ANC, the DA said yesterday.

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Lesufi ‘protects’ those implicated in fraud

DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga accused Lesufi of covering up in an attempt to protect the culprits, who were implicated in at least 170 cases of fraud and corruption.

Some of the incidents occurred around 2016-17 under Lesufi’s predecessor, David Makhura.

Whistle-blowers had approached the DA after being concerned that the officials had returned to work while the contents of the investigation reports remained unknown.

Msimanga has vowed to force Lesufi to release the reports into 170 cases of fraud and corruption, some of which were reported to the police.

Lesufi’s spokesperson Sizwe Pamla said the matter would be addressed during a media briefing in Midrand today.

The DA also intended to approach the auditor-general and the public protector to investigate Lesufi.

It would also request President Cyril Ramaphosa to issue a proclamation for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe the matter.

Msimanga said the poor were mainly affected by the corruption as they were supposed to benefit from the services if the money was not stolen.

The delayed reports included R50 million tender contracts earmarked to refurbish the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital in Carltonville on the far West Rand.

The amount ballooned to R588 million, excluding R144 million budgeted for medical expenses at the facility, which was built to accommodate Covid patients.

An SIU probe into the matter resulted in nine officials – six senior managers from the provincial department of infrastructure and three from the provincial department of health – being suspended.

DA demands Lesufi release Tembisa Hospital findings

Msimanga also demanded that Lesufi should release the forensic investigation into the R850 million graft that occurred at Tembisa Hospital that was flagged by whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, a chief director in the provincial department of health, before she was assassinated.

Recently, a new SIU probe found a further 5 500 fraudulent transactions amounting to R3 billion.

Through a whistle-blower, the DA heard that a forensic report into the Gauteng department of social development revealed that a director of sustainable livelihoods programme resigned in 2018 after he was accused of fraud and soliciting bribes.

In addition, the audit, which was done in 2018, also found that between 2014 and 2018, a huge portion of the annual budget for the programme was given to three non-profit organisations owned by the same directors.

Other incidents included hundreds of millions of rands allegedly stolen that were earmarked for school uniform and scholar transport subsidies and NGO funds that were allegedly diverted and not giving to deserving NGOs that took care of the destitute communities.

Msimanga estimated corruption that occurred in various programmes to be no less than R2 billion, covering the period from 2017 to 2024.

The DA has been requesting Lesufi to release all completed forensic reports since 2019.

They wrote to him again on 13 September this year, but without any response.

The premier then had until last Monday to deliver the reports to the DA offices to meet the 30-day deadline, but he failed to do so.

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