DA pickets Lesufi over R2 billion Tembisa Hospital looting

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng held a picket outside Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s office on Thursday, demanding urgent action against those implicated in the looting at Tembisa Hospital.

Dr Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, led the picket and handed over a memorandum to Premier Lesufi’s officials outlining the party’s demands. He was joined by DA constituency heads for Tembisa, Refiloe Ntšekhe MPL, and Khathutshelo Rasilingwane MPL.

“The corruption is far wider than Tembisa Hospital, and it needs to be rooted out,” said Bloom. “People die when health money is misappropriated on such a massive scale. Premier Lesufi must stop the stealing and start the healing.”

Gauteng Provincial Government spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga confirmed receipt of the memorandum. “Yes, it has been received. We had diarised this protest just like the other one that happened yesterday,” he said, adding that the government would respond through the appropriate channels.

The DA’s memorandum demands a speedy sale of seized assets so that the money can be returned to hospital patients. It calls for criminal charges against all those implicated in the looting, including Mr Hangwani Maumela, and urges that evidence used for asset forfeiture be applied immediately for prosecutions rather than waiting for the Special Investigating Unit’s final report.

Justice for whistleblower Babita Deokaran is another priority. The DA wants the identification and charging of the mastermind behind her murder and measures to protect and recognise whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing.

The memorandum also calls for a wider investigation into procurement practices across all Gauteng hospitals, with full public disclosure of findings and regular updates on the implementation of recommendations. The DA stressed that corruption in healthcare directly affects patient care and service delivery.

The party further demands the dismissal of Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. The DA alleges that she allowed former Chief Financial Officer Lerato Madyo to resign with her pension despite suppressing exposure of suspicious contracts at Tembisa Hospital. Bloom said the province needs an MEC who can dismantle corruption networks and replace implicated officials with competent and ethical personnel.

The picket is part of the DA’s ongoing campaign to hold the Gauteng government accountable for the alleged mismanagement and corruption at Tembisa Hospital. The party highlighted that over R2 billion has reportedly been stolen, depriving patients of essential healthcare services.

Bloom and the DA delegation called for urgent action on the demands and said they would continue to monitor developments to ensure full accountability. The memorandum concluded that corruption in healthcare kills and that silence enables it, underscoring the DA’s commitment to press for reforms and protect patients.