SIU
1Min
South Africa
Nov 20, 2025
A damning SIU investigation into corruption at Tembisa Hospital has prompted several implicated officials to voluntarily repay money. The probe uncovered three criminal syndicates that allegedly stole more than R2 billion through inflated invoices, collusion and rigged procurement systems.
The corruption scandal at Tembisa Hospital has taken a new turn after several implicated officials began voluntarily paying back money flagged by the Special Investigating Unit. This follows the release of an SIU interim report exposing a sprawling fraud network that siphoned off more than R2 billion meant for healthcare services.
SIU head Andy Mothibi confirmed that repayments began shortly after the findings were made public. While the exact amounts and individuals were not disclosed, the move suggests growing pressure on those caught up in the scheme, which has shocked Gauteng’s health sector and reignited debate about systemic corruption in provincial departments.
The SIU report revealed three criminal syndicates operating within and around the hospital, manipulating the procurement system to push through fraudulent purchase orders and inflated invoices. At least 15 current and former officials from Tembisa Hospital and the Gauteng Health Department were implicated in collusion, money-laundering and bid-rigging.
Investigators examined more than 2,000 procurement bundles and thousands of purchase orders, uncovering a pattern in which certain suppliers were repeatedly favoured. The report outlines how clerks, administrators and even senior managers allegedly enabled the looting by rubber-stamping questionable payments or ensuring that preferred companies received contracts.
The syndicates identified include networks linked to businessmen with long-standing ties to provincial tender systems, as well as a shadowy grouping the SIU referred to as “Syndicate X”. Their operations allegedly relied on exploiting the “three-quote” system, where fabricated or colluding suppliers were used to meet procurement requirements while funnelling public funds into private pockets.
Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said disciplinary processes have already begun, with some officials suspended and criminal referrals issued. She insisted that the department is determined to restore integrity but conceded that the scale of the fraud has dealt a serious blow to public trust.
