ActionSA notes with grave concern the findings of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report into procurement irregularities at Tembisa Hospital, which expose the looting of more than R2 billion through fraudulent contracts and systemic abuse of public funds.
This damning report vindicates the warnings of slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran, who courageously flagged over R850 million in suspicious tenders before her assassination. Her bravery unveiled a criminal syndicate operating within the Gauteng Department of Health (GDOH), and her sacrifice must compel immediate and decisive action.
ActionSA demands:
• Full recovery of stolen funds and criminal prosecution of all implicated parties. The SIU identified 207 service providers and 4,501 irregular purchase orders. These companies and individuals involved must be blacklisted, their assets seized and every rand stolen returned to the people of Gauteng.
• Real accountability for complicit officials. The resignation of senior managers does not constitute accountability. Officials who facilitated, condoned or ignored this corruption must face disciplinary action, criminal prosecution, civil litigation and public disclosure of their names and cases.
• Protection and justice for whistleblowers. Babita Deokaran’s murder was a direct result of the state’s failure to protect those who speak truth to power. ActionSA calls for the urgent introduction of a provincial whistleblower protection framework and full transparency on the progress of investigations into her assassination.
• Urgent restoration of Tembisa Hospital. Whilst billions were looted, patients continue to suffer in collapsing facilities. The hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit remains gutted months after a fire, leaving communities without critical services. ActionSA demands a public timeline for infrastructure repairs, equipment replacement and the filling of critical medical vacancies.
• Structural reform of procurement systems in Gauteng Health. The SIU report reveals how weak controls allowed junior officials and external syndicates to siphon off billions. ActionSA calls for a complete overhaul of procurement protocols, including digital transparency tools, real-time auditing and independent oversight of large contracts.
This report confirms what Gauteng residents have known and suffered through for years: under ANC misrule, our healthcare system has become a feeding trough for criminal tenderpreneurs and corrupt officials, whilst patients are left to die in underfunded, dysfunctional hospitals. ActionSA will not allow the death of Babita Deokaran, or the suffering of Tembisa’s residents, to be in vain. We will continue to demand accountability, push for reforms and work to deliver a government that puts people before corruption.
ActionSA reaffirms its commitment to ethical governance and people-centred leadership. Where the ANC has failed, ActionSA will continue to lead the fight for accountability and to restore dignity in Gauteng’s healthcare system.