By: Natasha Archary
Tembisa Hospital has once again come under fire, this time for splurging almost R500K on skinny jeans while the country crumbled under the Covid-19 pandemic.
The hospital which is implicated in the R330 million PPE tender scandal, reportedly forked out R498 000 on 200 pairs of skinny jeans for girls aged 6-7 years old.
This means each pair of jeans cost almost R2,500 each. The embattled hospital recently made headlines for its lavish purchase of armchairs and hand towels which cost R230 each.
Tembisa Hospital was exposed by slain PPE whistleblower, Babita Deokaran for being involved in spending R850 million of reported fraudulent payments.
According to Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom, Tembisa Hospital CEO, Ashley Mthunzi would have needed to get the purchase authorised in the form of a tender had the amount exceeded R500 000.
It just so happened that the cost of the skinny jeans fell just under R500K, which was conveniently enough paid for without raising eyebrows.
Bloom says the skinny jeans were acquired from Inez Chaste in June last year. The company had apparently just come into fruition a month prior to securing the huge purchase.
“It has been revealed that R498 000 was splurged on 200 pairs of skinny jeans for girls aged 6-7. 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.
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 from a fishy company called Inez Chaste, it’s one of ten firms owned by retired soccer star, Themba Tshabalala and his wife Evelyn.”
Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, Jack Bloom says Tembisa Hospital is under fire for splurging almost R500K on skinny jeans
The hospital made headlines earlier this year when a nurse was shot and killed at the hospital parking by her cop boyfriend.
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