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EC Health graft details must be made public

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The Democratic Alliance today submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application for forensic audit details of corruption and nepotism in the Eastern Cape Health Department.

The report by the Special Investigation Unit, which has revealed major graft and nepotism worth billions, must be made public to ensure that the results are not simply swept under the carpet.

The names of companies, officials and units within the Health Department involved in corruption were requested as part of the application. By law the Department now has 30 days to release this information.

At the very least, the audit report, commissioned by Premier Noxolo Kiviet and Health MEC Sicelo Gqobana, must be formally presented to the Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Health.  The committee must also be given full details of steps taken against all civil servants, their families and other persons implicated in the findings of the report.

While a draft of the report has been in circulation for some time, it is imperative that official channels are followed in dealing with the findings and bringing to book guilty individuals, units within the department and companies for the massive corruption. This is the only way to ensure that the rot is cut from the Department of Health.

Service delivery in the Eastern Cape, across all departments, is at an all-time low.  One of the reasons for this is the ongoing practice of civil servants who are doing business with the province, instead of getting on with the jobs that they are being paid to do.  The DA will continue to lobby for insider trading to come to an end.

I have written the MEC, to request that he final SIU be tabled before the Committee of Health as a matter of urgency.   In addition to this briefing, the DA expects the full details on the companies and officials involved in corruption to be released through the PAIA request.

John Cupido, MPL

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