DA urges Makhura to take urgent special leave

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for Gauteng Premier David Makhura to take urgent special leave, pending the outcomes of Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigations into the personal protective equipment scandal.

In a statement, the DA says Makhura failed to prevent the PPE corruption scandal, which allegedly happened under his watch.

The party says the former Gauteng Health Department chief financial officer, Kabelo Lehloenya, had implicated Makhura in the awarding of the multi-million PPE tenders after she stated in an affidavit that Makhura gave her the names of the companies to appoint, supply and deliver PPEs in the province.

DA Provincial Leader, Solly Msimanga, says investigations into the matter need to be addressed with urgency.

Msimanga says, “The same report contained something that was later on revealed as part of the affidavit that Makhura had been given an instruction by certain companies to be given part of the PPE contracts. That is undue influence on Supply Chain Management which is an illegal act. So what we are asking is that he take special leave because he cannot suspend himself. We are asking for President (Cyril) Ramaphosa to speed up the investigation, taking into consideration what Kabelo Lehloenya had to say.”

Masuku fire

Last year, Makhura fired Health MEC Bandile Masuku following allegations of corruption.

Presidential Spokesperson Khusela Diko, Masuku and his wife, Johannesburg MMC Loyiso Masuku, were placed on leave in July following a controversial multi-million rand PPE tender scandal.

An SIU investigation has found that Masuku had failed to execute his function in compliance with the Constitution and Public Finance Act.

Makhura announces Health MEC’s SIU report outcome:

Set aside findings

Masuku wants the findings of the investigation into the PPE tender to be set aside.

He filed court papers to dismiss the Special Investigating Unit report.

The report found him guilty of failing to execute his duties, thus violating the Constitution and the Public Finance Management Act.

Masuku’s lawyer Mojalefa Motalane says the SIU had made erroneous findings and had been peddling falsehoods: