Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
01 July 2025 | 12:30 CAT

📷 DA calls for urgent accountability as Sello Sekhokho, flagged in the Tembisa Hospital scandal, continues to secure government contracts despite corruption investigations.

Despite being under investigation by both the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for alleged corruption linked to the Tembisa Hospital scandal, businessman Sello Sekhokho continues to secure lucrative government contracts, sparking fresh outrage and renewed calls for urgent intervention.

Sekhokho, who was previously flagged by slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran just weeks before her assassination, has been awarded state contracts for the supply of basic goods, including toilet paper, under his company Latus. This is despite being named by the authorities as a person of interest and having his property raided by law enforcement.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, expressed deep concern in an interview with Radio Islam International, saying, “It’s very concerning because Mr Sekhokho was implicated in a large number of contracts that were allegedly corrupt, certainly very fishy, and also very overpriced.”

Bloom pointed out that the Department of Health continues to do business with Latus, even after revelations that the company received R330,000 for a single contract involving toilet paper supplies. “You’d think a company that’s already under scrutiny, whose owner has been raided by the Hawks, would be blacklisted,” he said.

The Department of Health maintains that it cannot act until it receives the SIU’s final report. However, Bloom argues that waiting indefinitely on such reports enables corruption to persist unchecked. “Final reports can take years. Meanwhile, companies implicated in corruption continue to benefit,” he stated.

Adding to the controversy, it has been reported that Gauteng Health MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, is allegedly supporting Sekhokho’s bid to become ANC chairperson in Ekurhuleni, a move that Bloom decried as “utterly shameless.”

According to Bloom, Sekhokho’s companies have earned R85 million from Gauteng public hospital contracts, with over R2 billion allegedly irregularly spent at Tembisa Hospital over a three-year period. “Imagine if that money was properly spent and the patients benefited,” Bloom lamented.

Responding to accusations of political targeting, Bloom emphasized that his concerns are rooted in public interest. “I’m not targeting him in particular. I’m targeting anybody implicated in fishy contracts,” he asserted.

The DA has called for swift action, tighter scrutiny of procurement processes, and an end to what it terms “political protection” shielding implicated individuals. As Bloom concluded, “If you’re serious about stopping corruption… we need far greater scrutiny and accountability.”

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Jack Bloom.