The Hawks have taken three high-ranking officials from the national Department of Health into custody as part of a corruption investigation involving alleged fraud and theft exceeding R1 million.
Among those arrested on Monday morning was director-general Sandile Buthelezi, alongside chief financial officer Phineas Phaswa Mamogale and deputy director-general Dr Malixole Mahlathi. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale confirmed the arrests but declined to disclose specific details regarding the charges or the identities of those involved at the time.
The trio are accused of irregularly awarding more than R1 million to a service provider in 2023, in violation of the Public Finance Management Act. The funds were reportedly drawn from a grant fund to pay for an investigation into underspending within that same fund.
"The three are set to appear in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court following an in-depth investigation since April 2024, where it is alleged that, in 2023, over R1 million was unduly awarded to a service provider in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act," Mogale said in a statement.
A fourth suspect, identified as the director of the company that received the payments, has not yet been apprehended. The company itself has been charged as a fifth juristic person in the matter, as the irregular funds were paid directly into its accounts.
All three officials were granted bail of R10 000 each, and the court imposed a condition barring them from entering the Department of Health's head office.
