Boerewors and boots among R100m contracts ANC treasurer scored from Gauteng hospitals

Three companies belonging to ANC Ekurhuleni treasurer-general Sello Sekhokho were awarded contracts from the Gauteng health department worth almost R100 million.

Contracts from Gauteng hospitals

The companies – Kaizen Projects, Nokhokhoko Medical Supplies and Bollanoto Security – were awarded 225 contracts in the last three years from Gauteng hospitals. These contracts were worth about R84 million.

Another R14.5 million was given to the same companies in deals with Tembisa Hospital during the same period.

These contracts add up to about R98.5 million.

This was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to questions from the DA’s Jack Bloom in the Gauteng Legislature.

Sekhokho’s companies were flagged by murdered whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, 10 months before her death.

According to News24, Deokaran was told by the Gauteng health department’s CFO, Lerato Madyo, to release the money and to keep it secret. Madyo has since been suspended.

“It is poignant that this bombshell information is revealed today, when the family of murdered Gauteng health official Babita Deokaran commemorated what would have been her 54th birthday,” said Bloom in a statement.

ALSO READ: Makhura denies involvement in Tembisa Hospital corruption scandals

Jerseys, boots and boerewors

According to Bloom, one of Sekhokho’s companies, Bollanoto Security, did not provide security services to any of the hospitals. It did, however, supply rainsuits, v-neck jerseys and boerewors.

Some of the items Bollanoto Security supplied include:

• 108 rainsuits of various sizes for men and women, at a total cost of R1.88 million (R17 000 for each rainsuit);
• 17 v-neck jerseys for R196 000 (R11 500 per jersey);
• Socks for Tokyo Sexwale Primary School worth R294 000;
• 1 920kg of boerewors cost R937 000 (R488 per kg)

Nokhokhoko Medical Supplies charged R2.5 million for 40 T-shirts, while Kaizen Projects was paid R280 000 for 27 pairs of parabellum brown leather shoes.

“It looks like a giant scam to fleece hospitals which desperately need money for decent care to patients who suffer terribly when machines are broken, staff are short, and buildings are falling apart,” said Bloom.

Overpriced goods were still being bought from the three companies in July this year, he added.

Despite the details of the contracts being provided by Nkomo-Ralehoko, Sekhokho told News24 that the claims were “rubbish” and “nonsense”. 

ALSO READ: Tembisa Hospital’s R500 000 skinny jeans contract one of the deals Babita Deokaran died for

Tembisa Hospital

Tembisa Hospital has been embroiled in corruption scandals since Deokaran’s death. The whistle-blower had uncovered several cases of possible corruption.

The hospital’s CEO Ashley Mthunzi has since been suspended as well.

The fishy payments were all less than R500 000, which allows the hospital CEO to sign off the contracts instead of going out to tender.

Tembisa Hospital made headlines when it was revealed that R498 000 was spent on 200 pairs of skinny jeans. This amounts to R2 500 being spent on each pair.

The contract for the 200 pairs of jeans was given to the company Inez Chaste. It was run by former professional soccer player Themba Shabalala and his wife Evelyn.

Inez Chaste was awarded the contract despite only being formed a month earlier. It was also one of 10 shell companies owned by either Themba or Evelyn. These 10 companies formed a network of around 45 shell corporations that received more than R110 million in contracts from the hospital in just two months.