ActionSA will write to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), requesting the initiation of an inquiry into the potential criminal conduct of Gauteng government officials involved in the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital fire repair project.
A damning report released by the Public Protector raises alarm bells about potential violations of the Public Finance Management Act, evidenced by clear findings of maladministration, irregularities, budget underspending, poor financial controls and failures in project management that require urgent and comprehensive investigation.
While the Public Protector has referred aspects of the matter to the Auditor-General of South Africa for further audit, ActionSA believes this must run concurrently with a full criminal investigation because the troubling scale and severity of the conduct uncovered demand that justice be pursued urgently.
ActionSA will also request that the Minister of Health and Gauteng Health MEC urgently report to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health on the matter, as the findings contained in the report point to one of the most shameful examples of governmental failure in recent years. The conduct of incompetent public officials placed the lives of patients at risk, severely undermined access to public healthcare, and imposed intolerable conditions on healthcare professionals attempting to serve communities under already compromised circumstances.
ActionSA is further disturbed by testimony published in the Sunday Times from doctors who indicate that, since 2024, absolutely nothing has changed and that the horrific conditions faced by patients and medical staff have not improved. The full weight of accountability must now fall on the officials presiding over the continued destruction of one of the most vital healthcare facilities in the country.
ActionSA will closely monitor Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s compliance with the Public Protector’s recommendations and will pursue every available mechanism to enforce accountability and bring an end to the tragic collapse of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, ensuring that those responsible for its continued decline are held fully accountable.
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