The Office of the Public Protector has confirmed that it received a letter from the DA regarding the appointment of Arnold Lesiba Malotana as the head of the Gauteng Health Department.
The party said it wrote to the Public Protector to request an urgent investigation into what they called “suspicious” appointment of Malotana as the HOD.
“The Public Protector South Africa can confirm that it has received a complaint from DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom, and that the matter is currently being processed,” said Public Protector SA spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe on Monday.
Bloom said during a meeting of the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee last Thursday, provincial Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko announced that Malotana was no longer the acting head of the department. Instead, he has been appointed permanently for the past two months.
Malotana had been acting in this position since April last year.
“This is an extraordinary way to announce such a significant appointment. Why was it kept secret for two months? Surely it should have been announced when he was appointed. It’s definitely suspicious. It appears that Premier Panyaza Lesufi appointed him shortly after May 29 elections,” Bloom said.
He said this important appointment should not have been made before the new provincial government was formed, especially since the ANC failed to secure a majority.
“I am concerned about the serious allegations regarding Malotana’s involvement in corrupt activities. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is reportedly investigating him and two other senior officials for their hand in a tender-rigging scheme through which they allegedly scored millions of rand in kickbacks.
“Another allegation is that Malotana did not possess the necessary Master’s degree for the position at the time of his application, and his appointment was postponed until he obtained it,” he said.
Bloom said Malotana is also criticised in the Public Protector’s report for the irregular appointment of the late Dr Ashley Mthunzi as the CEO of Tembisa Hospital. He is said to have ignored “material discrepancies” and rubber-stamped Mthunzi’s appointment.
“I have requested the Public Protector to investigate this appointment urgently as the department is frequently mired in corruption scandals, with slow disciplinary proceedings against implicated officials. Lives are at stake if competent and honest top officials are not appointed,” Bloom said.
Lesufi’s office told The Star that the post was advertised in the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) circular 43 of 2023 and national media (The Star and Sunday World).
“The closing date was 08 Dec 2023, so it is not true it was done in secret. Gauteng received 18 applications and three candidates were shortlisted and approved by the premier. The HOD was given Clearance by State Security Agency (SSA) on 22 May (top secret),” said Lesufi’s spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga.
He said the candidate received a competency for SMS concluded on April 17. Interviews were on April 12 and the panel was approved by the premier, four MECs and two DGs (Gauteng and National Department of health), MIE report to check qualifications and criminal record was concluded.
“The fact that DA is not aware can’t be concluded that the issue was done in secrecy and that the HOD was cleared by the competent body,” Mhaga said.
Meanwhile, Bloom said despite the dire need for improved service delivery, the Gauteng Health Department failed to spend R1.1 billion of the 2023/24 budget which ended on March 31 this year.
Bloom said this was revealed by Malotana at a meeting last week of the Gauteng Legislature’s Health Committee.
“According to Malotana, they have applied to Treasury to roll over R780 million into this financial year, but approval has not yet been given. This means that at least R320 million of last year’s budget has been lost, and potentially a lot more if Treasury does not approve the roll-over,” said Bloom.
“It is likely that most of the R250 million budgeted last year for urgent cancer treatment was not spent as this is the subject of an urgent court application by the Cancer Alliance. The huge underspend is outrageous when there are so many unfilled posts and hospitals are falling apart.”
Bloom said the unspent R1.1m could have been used for urgent cancer treatment to save lives. It could also employ 3000 more nurses for a year or build 10 clinics.
“It’s yet another example of poor financial management that plagues this department,” he said.
Bloom said DA will continue to push for fundamental reforms to ensure decent health care in Gauteng hospitals. This should include the replacement of recently appointed Malotana who is reportedly being investigated for alleged corruption.
Gauteng Health spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, said: “The department underspent by an unaudited amount of R1.1 billion. This amount still has to be audited by the Auditor-General in line with financial prescripts. This amount constitutes 1.1% of the department’s total budget. While the department strives to spend every cent, sometimes this is not achieved owing to a number of factors that have a bearing on the operational environment. R760 million of the R1.1 billion (and not R780 million as reported) was committed and the department has applied for a roll-over.”
He said the department remains committed to accelerating service delivery. “The request for a roll over is due to the fact that the funds were already committed and could not just be redirected to other areas,” Modiba said.
Treasury was contacted to confirm if indeed the information revealed at GPL was accurate, however, they requested more time before they can respond.
The Star