I am hugely concerned at the abrupt resignation of Kabelo Lehloenya, the Gauteng Health Department’s Chief Financial Officer.
This is a critical time as the Department faces the COVID-19 crisis and has to make speedy buying decisions that ensure value for money and avoid corruption.
Lehloenya was appointed in February 2018 and made some progress in improving the Department’s notorious financial management, but there is still a long way to go. For instance, only 66% of companies are paid within the required 30 days and R909 million of the budget was unspent at the end of the financial year on 31 March.
We need a proper explanation for Lehloenya’s resignation as there are allegations on Twitter of irregularities in the purchase of more than R100 million of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Did she resign in protest or was she implicated in some way?
We need to guard against corrupt interests taking advantage of the health crisis to enrich themselves in a department that has suffered grievously from massive corruption.