JOHANNESBURG - The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the arrest of a Tembisa Hospital employee implicated in widespread corruption.
An SIU probe found that Zacharia Tshisele received unlawful payments from service providers. Tshisele has since surrendered R13.5-million in bribes to the unit.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says Tshisele voluntarily approached the SIU, stating he wanted to return the money.
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“He gave it to us in two tranches because he had to contact the bank to release the funds. We can safely say it is in our bank account as we speak,” Kganyago said.
So far, the investigation has linked R122-million in corrupt payments to at least 15 current and former officials at the Gauteng Health Department and Tembisa Hospital.
They are accused of bid-rigging, collusion, money laundering and abusing their positions to benefit service providers.
More officials are expected to be implicated as the investigation continues.