Question NW63 to the Minister of Health
11 March 2019 - NW63
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Health
(1)Whether he has been informed that he has been implicated in testimony made under oath and in written documents by Mr Agrizzi at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry to Inquire into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo; if so, were the allegations made by Mr Agrizzi in respect of him true; (2) whether he declared any financial or material gifts from Bosasa as required by the Executive Members’ Ethics Act, Act 82 of 1998; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. No, I was neither informed, nor did I ever see or hear anywhere where Agrizzi implicates me in any testimony made under oath. However I saw somewhere on social media a list said to have been released by Agrizzi, whereby it says I contacted Bosasa and made enquiries about some systems or services they offer.
The statement that I contacted Bosasa is in fact false. I never contacted Bosasa. What happened was that the former Mayor of Mogale City, Mr Mpho Nawa, contacted me in 2015 and informed me that he had been invited by a company in Mogale City where he is Mayor, to go and view Hospital Information Management systems. He said he told them that he understood nothing about health information systems and at any rate had no jurisdiction over hospitals.
The Mayor then invited me to visit that company. On arrival I discovered that the company was in fact Bosasa. I had thought that Bosasa was only a catering company. But I found out there when they then showed me the systems, that they do many other things, other than catering. However regardless of their systems I was definitely not interested in getting the Department of Health involved with them in any other way because I read lots of stories about their irregularities with the catering contract in Correctional Services.
2. No, I declared nothing because I received nothing in the form of a gift or financial benefit or any other way from Bosasa.
END.