The Northern Cape Health Department has put its Chief Financial Officer and Acting Head of Department on precautionary suspension following their arrest on charges relating to the alleged irregular awarding of personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts.
Acting HOD, Dr Dion Theys and CFO Daniel Gaborone were arrested last week and subsequently appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court, where they were granted bail of R20 000 each.
Provincial Health Department spokesperson, Lebogang Majaha, said Health MEC Maruping Lekwene met with the department’s top brass following the arrests and highlighted the need to strengthen governance in the department.
“The MEC… met with the executive management team in the department, where he re-emphasised the need to urgently strengthen governance processes and internal controls. The MEC and Head of Department will be meeting next week with a joint sitting of the Northern Cape Legislature Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development.
The purpose of the meeting is to brief the committee on these developments and explain the processes being implemented to ensure stability in the department in terms of its operations and its financial viability,” Majaha said.
Theys and Gaborone are expected to appear next in the court on 27 September.