Today, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo MEC for Health in KwaZulu-Natal thanked the hard work of the South African Police Service and departmental officials who work tirelessly to ensure that those who continue to steal from the public purse are brought to book.
He said this after the court appearance of a Deputy Manager, Ms Busisiwe Contance Ndaba (45), in the Department of Health’s Supply Chain Management unit who was arrested on Tuesday in connection with corruption charges relating to solicitation of a bribe. Appearing before Magistrate Kim de Freitas, the prosecutor (Mr Abby Letsholo) argued against the granting of bail until further investigations into her previous criminal records and possible further charges have been finalised.
Ms Ndaba was arrested after, it is alleged, she received a bribe of R2 000 from the owner of Falethu Security & Cleaning Services. The owner of this company further alleges that he made payments of R6 000, R1 850 and R1 500 towards Ms Ndaba’s bank account. This was so that Ms Ndaba could influence decisions in favour of Falethu Security & Cleaning services when tenders are awarded.
Speaking after the court appearance MEC Dhlomo said; “We want to commend the great work that the police and other government agencies are doing in this regard. Supply chain management is a unit in the department where we require people with integrity and honesty as we entrust decisions made around the procurement supplies that are necessary for the delivery of healthcare.”
He further said that the work of the joint team (police and departmental officials) is impeccable as they do not bring to courts people who would get out of their cases on technical grounds. “They ensure that they have done their home work and all necessary evidence is on hand before any person is brought to justice,” said MEC Dhlomo.
The case was remanded until the 1 June 2011 at which time the prosecution will review its bail decision and/or hear application for bail.
Enquiries:
Chris Maxon
Cell: 083 447 2869
MEC Dhlomo applauds the hard work of the police and department officials on corruption arrests
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