Limpopo health department investigating allegations of coal tender scandal

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Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba.

Sandile Ndlovu, Gallo Images, Sowetan

The Limpopo health department is being criticized for a multi-million rand tender for the supply of charcoal to 14 hospitals. Designated hospitals do not have facilities to use charcoal. The ministry says it has opened an investigation into the matter.

The Limpopo Department of Health has found itself in a storm over a controversial tender for the supply of coal to 14 hospitals, as many facilities do not use the fuel source.

Earlier this week, the Conty Lebepe Foundation, a non-governmental organization, sounded the alarm over possible wrongdoing.

He contacted Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba about it.

A statement from the department said Ramathuba had instructed the head of the department, Mutheiwana Dombo, to launch an investigation into the allegations.

A letter written by a chief director of the department to a senior finance official appears to confirm that a multi-million rand contract has been issued to supply coal to 14 hospitals.

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In the letter, the chief manager asked one of the project managers to “provide a report with the reasons” why facilities that do not use coal were included in the tender specifications.

Department spokesman Neil Shikwambana said in a statement that the MEC has assigned the acting HOD to investigate the matter.

“While the internal investigation was still ongoing, official internal documents were leaked into the public domain.

“The department believes that the leaking of these documents is intended to undermine the ongoing investigation and also to delegitimize its potential findings,” Shikwambana said.

He added that the ministry has also requested assistance from law enforcement in this regard.

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He added that no work has been done, nor payment made for the tender.

The provincial prosecutor said the department never raised the issue of an internal investigation with the legislature’s portfolio committee on health.

The party said:

It’s no surprise for a department that has been against accountability and transparency over the years.

He added that he had written to the chairman of the portfolio committee to expedite the appearance of the MEC and acting HOD before the committee to provide details of the case.

Action SA promised to follow “this allegation of corruption until we get to the bottom of this injustice”, while the Association of Civil Servants (PSA) said the allegations were “extremely worrying”.

The PSA said it hoped that after “numerous scandals” that even led to investigations by the Special Investigation Unit, department officials would have been more “cautious and diligent” in the process. award of contracts.

“The fraudulent awarding of tenders has cost the department considerable sums and therefore one would have expected the department to be more careful and diligent after experiencing numerous scandals which resulted in investigations by the ‘Special Investigation Unit,’ the union said in a statement. week.

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