Pretoria News reports that Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha has accepted the resignation of Department of Health head Thokozani Mhlongo amid the cloud of a PPE scandal she is alleged to be involved in.

According to the premier’s spokesperson Ndavhe Ramakuela, Mhlongo cited personal reasons for her resignation. Mhlongo, together with the chief financial officer Justice Modau and other senior officials, was undergoing an internal disciplinary process for their role in the PPE scandal. According to Ramakuela, Mathabatha has not yet received the internal disciplinary hearing report. He said an acting head of department would be appointed for a period until the vacancy was filled. In January, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) revealed in a report a range of offences relating to the procurement of PPE in the province, including that the provincial health department had irregularly awarded PPE tenders worth R125 million. In April, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane published a report on an investigation into allegations of maladministration and procurement irregularities in the awarding of tenders for the supply of PPE by the Limpopo department of health. Unions, political parties and Mkhwebane have been calling on Mathabatha to activate remedial action against Mhlongo and other departmental officials. The Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) had called for the immediate suspension of all implicated in the SIU report, including Mhlongo.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mashudu Sadike at Pretoria News

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