Gauteng Premier David Makhura said the latest SIU update on its investigations found that the MEC failed to uphold the Constitution and regulations contained in the Public Finance Management Act.
The province has been at the centre of allegations of COVID-19 corruption that saw the suspension of Lukhele, the Health deputy Director-General Andile Gwebani and Health MEC Bandile Masuku.
Suspended Health MEC Bandile Masuku has threatened legal action against Bloom, saying he was spreading false information.
ANC Gauteng Secretary Jacob Khawe went to great lengths to explain that the party was not shielding anyone from accountability, by not accepting the intergrity committee report, but was merely ensuring that all due processes were followed.
Masuku, his wife Loyiso and presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko's husband, were implicated in the alleged fraudulently awarded tender.
Eyewitness News has independently confirmed this, while the findings are expected to be released on Sunday by the African National Congress (ANC)’s provincial executive committee.
Gauteng was using the open tender system prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. but because of the urgent need for personal protective equipment (PPE), the province used national government’s emergency procurement process, a process that Makhura said created loopholes for corruption.
Jacob Mamabolo is standing in for Bandile Masuku, who has been placed on special leave, following allegations of improper conduct involving the awarding of a personal protective equipment tender worth millions.
Treasury said that government departments would no longer be allowed to choose suppliers and would have to resort to open tender processes in awarding contracts for PPE and COVID-19-related goods and services.
There have been numerous reports of irregularities around COVID-19 relief funds by among others senior government officials, including the presidential spokesperson and Gauteng's MEC for Health.
The request relates to her alleged involvement in a multi-million rand tender for personal protective equipment.
Bandile Masuku and his wife, member of mayoral council (MMC) Loyiso, have been accused of influencing decisions in the awarding of a tender for personal protective equipment.
Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the PPE contract linked to King Madzikane II should be subjected to a 'comprehensive criminal investigation or a special audit by the Auditor General of South Africa'.
Gauteng Premier David Makhura addressed the media to update on COVID-19 in the province. He also spoke about the investigation of the procurement of Personal Protective Equipment in the Gauteng Health Department. #CoronavirusSA #Gauteng #COVID19
The Gauteng ANC leadership has decided that Khusela Diko, Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku and his wife Loyiso, appear before the provincial integrity committee and take a leave of absence of two to four weeks.
The Gauteng African National Congress (ANC) provincial executive committee (PEC) said that Health MEC Bandile Masuku and his wife, MMC in the Joburg metro Loyiso Masuku, must take a leave of absence from their positions with immediate effect.
This followed reports that a company linked to Presidency psokesperson Khusela Diko’s husband had scored a personal protective equipment (PPE) tender valued at R125 million, raising concerns about a conflict of interest.
Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko and her husband said that their efforts to earn an honest living had been mired in controversy but insisted there was no corruption in the awarding of a PPE contract from the Gauteng government.
