An internal disciplinary process has found six Eastern Cape emergency services staff guilty of dishonesty following a soccer jaunt at government expense, the provincial health department said on Thursday.
It has now been recommended that the officials be dismissed after being found guilty on Wednesday. They allegedly used a provincial air ambulance for a trip to Bloemfontein for a Confederations Cup match between Spain and USA in June last year.
The jaunt cost the province R182 000, Kupelo said. They included the chief emergency operations officer in the province and senior staff from various centres. An eighth official was found not guilty. The six had a right to appeal.
The department earlier this year terminated that air ambulance contract after uncovering irregularities totalling millions of rands, including claims for six hour flights from East London to Mthatha, triple the driving time, and six hours back. The department is now hiring air ambulance services on a month to month basis.
The province's head of emergency medical services, Shanks Maharaj resigned in February after news of the jaunt emerged.
Source: Department of Health, Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecdoh.gov.za)
