'At the moment, the stuff they have collected is just sitting in store rooms.'
The DA in Gauteng says it wants the assets of several businesspeople linked to the looting of Tembisa Hospital to be sold.
The party believes these assets should be sold, and the money should be injected back into the bank account of the Gauteng Department of Health and Wellness.
It has now launched a petition titled “Collect the Billions”, aimed at pressuring the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to seize the assets of the leaders of three syndicates that stole R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital.
Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, DA shadow MEC for Health and Wellness in Gauteng, Jack Bloom, said he appreciated that the SIU had already begun seizing assets belonging to Hangwani Maumela, one of the kingpins behind the looting.
However, Bloom criticised that the seized assets are currently sitting idle in a storage facility instead of being sold to benefit the Department of Health and Wellness.
“I do not think they have all of Mr Maumela’s assets, and I do not think they have attached the assets of the other masterminds.
“At the moment, the stuff they have collected is just sitting in store rooms. They need to put these Lamborghinis on the market and try to get what they can.
“Once these assets are collected, they need to make them liquid,” he said.
According to the SIU, Maumela’s syndicate benefited to the tune of more than R800 million from Tembisa Hospital.
A raid at his Sandton mansion led to the seizure of artwork, jewellery, luxury cars, and other valuable assets.
He also owned several properties valued at over R200 million in total.
At least R2 billion was looted out of Tembisa Hospital in a sophisticated collusion between officials and corrupt businesspeople. The hospital receives an annual budget of approximately R1,6 billion.
This hospital is still haunted by the legacy of the looting that took place.
What about the other two syndicates?
Bloom said the assets of the other two syndicates must also be seized and auctioned off.
“The people who have suffered because of this theft are from Tembisa Hospital and are from Gauteng; this is why the money should be given back. There is a danger that it will just disappear into the general treasury,” he said.
Bloom said his petition is gaining momentum, but he will not be able to provide adequate feedback until January.
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Criminal charges
Bloom said he also expects police to arrest the leaders of the syndicates that are behind the looting of Tembisa Hospital.
“The evidence they have for confiscation of assets is enough evidence to criminally charge; that is quite an important point. They need to add charges based on the available evidence, and then they can add other charges later,” he said.
‘It is not only about money that is stolen’
Meanwhile, Bloom said he believes Tembisa Hospital is not the only hospital being looted by politically connected individuals. He said the entire Gauteng health department has become a feeding trough for the corrupt.
“Some experts believe that over the last 10 years, R20 billion has been looted from the Gauteng Department of Health. This estimate boils down to around R2 billion a year.
“I do not think that it is just the money that hurts the patients; it is also that they put the wrong people in charge, so it is not only about money that is stolen, it is also about money that is wasted.
“Poor management kills people, and we also see that with the cancer treatment…in my view, the Gauteng health department has been corrupt for a very long time,” he said.
Bloom said he has also been receiving complaints from Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. He said this hospital has the biggest budget in the province, around R4 billion per annum.
“I have picked up that bad things are happening at Bara hospital. I think there is a lot happening at Bara, it was never only Tembisa Hospital,” he said.
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