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Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura has suspended the head of the health department (HOD), Mkhululi Lukhele, effective immediately.
This was announced by provincial government spokesman Thabo Masebe on Wednesday after the personal protective equipment (PPE) tender scandal that shook the province.
“Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura has appointed Professor Mkhululi Lukhele as head of the department of health, under preventive suspension with immediate effect. The prime minister is acting on the recommendations of the Special Investigation Unit following the updated report presented to him on September 22, 2020.
“The Special Investigation Unit found that the department head did not exercise his responsibility in awarding contracts to certain companies for the acquisition of goods and services in relation to the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. HOD’s actions, or omissions, may have resulted in the department incurring wasteful and wasteful expenses, ”Masebe said.
Lukhele was the HOD at the time the Gauteng health department participated in the EPP Scandal involving his MEC Bandile Masuku, his wife, who is MMC Loyiso of Johannesburg, and presidential spokeswoman Khusela Diko.
The scandal saw Diko’s husband, who is AmaBhaca boss Thandiziwe Diko’s company, Royal Bhaca, awarded a multi-million dollar Covid-19 PPE tender. The Masukus and the Dikos are close friends of the family.
Diko, Loyiso, and Masuku received a one-month license in July.
The scandal shocked the ruling party in the province and resulted in the conduct of the three officials being investigated by the ANC’s integrity commission.
Last week, Sowetan reported that the ANC in Gauteng decided to extend his leave of absence for at least three weeks while it deals with the content of the report of the integrity commission.
The party decided not to adopt the report by its integrity commission, which, according to internal sources, was riddled with inconsistencies, contradictions and provided inadequate information.
The SIU has It has been tasked with investigating the award of PPE tenders that have been awarded to companies as the government was fighting Covid-19. The Auditor General has also started investigating these tenders as public officials abused the emergency procurement environment. and got involved in corrupt deals with private companies.
