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The DA welcomes the Gauteng High Court’s decision that the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, must act on a report that exposed R1.2 billion tender corruption in the North West Department of Health by end of day, or possibly face two years in jail.

The Minister has until this afternoon to explain why he did not study or sign Adv Maile Ngake’s report regarding the tender graft in the province.

The DA hopes that the Minister also makes use of the opportunity to explain why the North West Health Department supply-chain management director, Dr Buyani Makhubu, was fired despite being absolved from any involvement in the corruption. He should also explain why he failed to institute consequence management against Jeanette Hunter, the national Health Department's deputy director of primary healthcare and the designated accounting officer during the four-year administration of the North West, who allegedly formed part of the efforts to brazenly contravene several laws when security contracts initially worth R900 million were awarded to 22 companies.

The Minister’s alleged attempts to conceal the corruption and protect his comrades reveal his and his Department’s stance on ethical governance of public money. It seems that the Minister views taxpayers’ money as a personal piggy bank for him and his cronies. The DA will do everything in our power to prevent him getting an even bigger slice of the pie through the National Health Insurance (NHI) Fund. He has proven that provision of quality health care will always play second fiddle to ensuring the prosperity of the politically connected.

Issued by Michele Clarke MP - DA Shadow Minister of Health