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The Portfolio Committee on Health was briefed by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on the arrest and court appearance of three senior Department of Health officials on charges of corruption.
 
Members of the committee said they wanted to be taken into confidence of what transpired and the Minister’s stance on the matter. They also had questions about consequence management and the current situation.

In his response the Minister said, “We also saw on Monday for the first time that there are officials in my department who were arrested. These include the Director-General, the Chief Financial Officer and the Deputy Director-General responsible for hospital services and HR. The charge sheet indicates they appointed a company corruptly for R1 million to investigate an official in the department who has been placed on suspension. They received bail yesterday for R10 000 each and were instructed not to set foot in the department.

“On Monday afternoon, a police captain came to my department to deliver the bail conditions directly to me, specifying that they must never set foot in the department,” said the Minister. He added, “I was a bit confused about whether this means the court is essentially suspending them or if I can still contact them and ask questions. I need answers to some things I’ve seen in the media that I was previously unaware of.”

The Minister informed the committee that he had sent his legal advisor to the court yesterday to seek more details. The response from the court stated that: “they can talk to the Minister if they want, but if they need to do something regarding Health, they must apply to the court for permission. Imagine having to apply to court every time you want to do something in Health,” said Dr Motsoaledi.

He said he has been in contact with the Presidency, stating, “as you know, the appointments and suspensions of directors-general are handled by the Presidency, not by ministers. Generally, when someone goes through a disciplinary process, the President appoints a different minister to manage that process; one who is not involved with the affected department.”

The committee learned that conclusions have not yet been reached because the Minister still needs to consult with the President. The Minister indicated that he spoke with the department’s Director-General, who has an appointment with the Minister today. The Minister said the President would also provide guidance on what needs to happen.

The Minister remarked on the claims in the media to the effect that three officials defrauded money to eliminate a whistleblower: “I want to emphasise that it is not the day to clarify this issue, as it would distract from our meeting, but it is not true. There is a gentleman being charged for something completely different, which we believe everyone will understand once we provide the details. No whistleblower is being charged in the department for whistleblowing.

“I want to assure the committee, that as far as I am concerned as a Minister, I will never participate in any process that involves charging or persecuting a whistleblower. I have worked in Home Affairs, and without whistleblowers, the state cannot survive. There is no way I would be part of any process that deals harshly with a whistleblower.

“I just want to assure the committee that the stories about a whistleblower being eliminated are fabrications that developed in the press,” said Dr Motsoaledi. “The individual facing charges is the one who spread the story that he is a whistleblower, which is definitely not true. That’s what I can say for now.”

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Faith Muthambi