The Public Servants Association PSA has called for the immediate suspension of Independent Development Trust IDT officials implicated in alleged misconduct in the R800m oxygen plant tender, pending the outcome of investigations.
The PSA said it was outraged by revelations of alleged fraud and gross mismanagement in the R836m pressure swing adsorption oxygen plant project, overseen by the IDT.
Public works and infrastructure minister Dean Macpherson released the findings of an independent forensic investigation on Tuesday. The investigation report recommended disciplinary action against IDT CEO Tebogo Malaka, GM for supply chain management Molebedi Sisi and other officials.
The union said the project that aimed to install oxygen plants at 60 hospitals nationwide was seen as an opportunity for self-enrichment by greedy employees and service providers.
What began as a R216m initiative to install life-saving oxygen plants at South Africa's public hospitals has inexplicably ballooned to R836m. This staggering escalation, reportedly owing to irregular procurement processes and cost overruns, is a grave betrayal of public trust and a direct threat to the integrity of South Africas healthcare system.