The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called on the Hawks to urgently investigate Gauteng Premier David Makhura. This is for his alleged involvement and corruption scandals that have taken place under his watch. The party claims more than R2.2 billion has not been accounted for since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year.
Leader of the DA in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Solly Msimanga submitted a letter at the Hawks headquarters in Pretoria on Thursday morning, urging them to investigate Makhura urgently.
The DA wants Makhura to step aside after being personally implicated in a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) scandal. The party alleges that it is in possession of an affidavit made by former Gauteng Health CFO, Kabelo Lehloenya in which he implicates Makhura for his alleged involvement in the appointment of six companies to supply PPEs.
Msimanga says more than R2.2 billion has also not been accounted for under Makhura’s watch since the last year.
“We have now been given information and we are in possession of a document including the affidavit that speaks to the instruction that came from David Makhura’s office that six companies should be given a special contract and should be given special treatment and contracts relating to the sanitising, including PPE equipment, that had been distributed since last year. We are also now calling on the investigators to look into a report that got Bandile suspended and fired, but yet the same report is not being used to suspend or even charge David Makhura.”
Gauteng has been marred by a number of PPE corruption scandals with the latest being over R430 million spent to disinfect and deep-clean schools in the province.
The DA says it will push for a motion of no confidence against Makhura if the Hawks fail to act on him.
Msimanga says Makhura must lead by example and step aside.
“Makhura has always portrayed himself as someone who is beyond reproach; always portrayed himself as some who deals with corruption head-on. But why if a report came last year already implicating him and his office, did he not do anything or say anything when he was suspending Bandile Masuku, even firing Masuku? So, we are saying the same vigour that was used should be used. We don’t have any confidence in him. We are talking close to R3 billion that has disappeared in a matter of months here in Gauteng.”
Gauteng Premier David Makhura’s briefing on PPE corruption :
The office of the Premier was not available for comment.
