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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng led a picket today outside Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office to demand criminal charges against all those implicated in the looting at Tembisa Hospital, as well as a speedy process to sell off the assets of syndicate kingpins so the money is directly returned to assist hospital patients.

I handed over a memorandum with the party’s demands. I was accompanied by the DA Constituency Heads for Tembisa, Refiloe Ntšekhe MPL and Khathutshelo Rasilingwane MPL.

The DA’s memorandum calls for the following:

1. A speedy process to sell off the seized assets, so money is directly returned to assist hospital patients.

2. Criminal charges against all those implicated in the looting, regardless of their high positions or political connections. The evidence for asset forfeitures should be used to criminally charge Mr Hangwani Maumela and others instead of waiting for the SIU final report.

3. Justice for Babita Deokaran - this means finding and charging the mastermind who ordered her murder, as well as suitable protection and honour for whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing.

4. Widen the investigations to include procurement at all Gauteng hospitals.

5. Public disclosure of all findings, and timely report-backs on the implementation of recommendations.

6. Comprehensive reform of procurement processes to prevent further stealing and ensure that money is spent cost-effectively to improve healthcare.

7. Fire Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. She allowed former Chief Financial Officer Lerato Madyo to resign with her pension money instead of being disciplined for suppressing Babita's exposure of suspicious contracts at Tembisa Hospital. We need a new MEC who will effectively break up the corruption networks and replace all the cronies with competent and ethical people.

The corruption is far wider than Tembisa Hospital, and it needs to be rooted out. The reality is that people die when health money is misappropriated on such a massive scale.

Premier Lesufi must stop the stealing and start the healing!

Issued by Dr Jack Bloom MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health