The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has been granted a preservation order to freeze the pension benefits of a former Mpumalanga health official accused of irregularly awarding seven contracts amounting to over R19 million for the procurement of goods and services from various service providers during the Covid-19 state of emergency.

The Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) and Mpumalanga Health Department have been halted from paying pension benefits of approximately R2 million due to Tshegofatso Daniel Moralo, who was employed at the Mpumalanga Department of Health as Assistant Director and Manager of Pharmaceutical Services.

"The SIU is pursuing civil action to review and set aside the contracts and to recover financial losses suffered by the State,” SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said.

“The freezing of Moralo’s pension benefits is part of the implementation of SIU’s investigation outcomes and consequence management to recover financial losses due to corruption or negligence, “ Kganyago added.

A Special Tribunal order dated September 27, 2023, interdicted the companies from paying pension benefits until a civil action instituted by the SIU against Silver Falls Scientific Solutions CC, Sifiso Siyafezeka CC, Nkabo ///later Technologies (Ply) Ltd, Tee Tee 15 Trading (Ply) Ltd, Uhuruwankha Primary Cooperative Ltd, Nkuzi Health Medical (Ply) Ltd, and Hlalu Lindzile Construction CC has been finalised.

The SIU believes Moralo resigned to avoid accountability during the SIU's initiated disciplinary process.

Further, Kganyago said that the SIU investigations into the affairs of Mpumalanga's health department also revealed Moralo deliberately, grossly, and/or negligently failed to ensure compliance with all the requirements governing public sector procurement by the department and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent irregular expenditures by the department.

In addition to urging other state institutions to act on disciplinary referrals, the SIU has also praised the Mpumalanga Health Department for taking action on its disciplinary referral against Moralo.

IOL