It’s understood that the hospital paid R2 500 per item for the skinny jeans – Photo: Unsplash
It’s understood that the hospital paid R2 500 per item for the skinny jeans – Photo: Unsplash
We could think of a million things that a medical facility needs before it bulk-buys skinny jeans. But here we are. Tembisa Hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi has come under fresh scrutiny on Tuesday, after a new investigation revealed more bizarre spending habits.
Tembisa Hospital splashes cash on skinny jeans
As well as forking out for luxury armchairs and overpriced hand towels, the Gauteng hospital also decided that 200 pairs of skinny jeans made for a necessary purchase. In total, 200 items were bought by the facility – amounting to R2 500 each.
There’s something dreadfully wrong with this transaction. First and foremost, any purchase of R500 000 or over must go to a tender process. Anything under can be signed off directly. And wouldn’t you just know it, Ashley Mthunzi managed to procure these skinny jeans for R498 000.
What are the chances, right?
Gauteng medical facility ‘mired in corruption’
The company who sold them the jeans popped up just ONE MONTH before the deal was struck. Inez Chaste is allegedly part of a network of ‘shell companies’ owned by former footballer Themba Shabalala. It’s rumoured that this racket made OVER R100 million in just two months.
And they absolutely saw Tembisa Hospital coming from a mile away.
The embattled institution has been flagged for spending R850 million in ‘possibly fraudulent’ payments. Their alarming accounts were first exposed by late whistleblower Babita Deokoran – who was assassinated a year ago today.
- Jack Bloom is Gauteng’s Shadow Health MEC. He was mortified to learn of further supposed wrongdoing at Tembisa Hospital:
“It has been revealed that R498 000 was splurged on 200 pairs of skinny jeans for girls aged six to seven. That’s R2 500 each! Tembisa Hospital CEO Ashley Mthunzi is in the spotlight as amounts under R500 000 don’t have to go out to tender, and he can sign them off.“
“The Tembisa Hospital is notorious for overcrowding and poor service but splurged on luxury armchairs and skinny jeans in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. They even bought 2000 hand towels for R230 each!”
“The jeans were bought on 24 June last year from a fishy company called Inez Chaste – formed just one month earlier. It’s one of ten firms owned by retired soccer star Themba Shabalala and his wife Evelyn.” | Jack Bloom
