South Africa Says Three Senior Health Officials Have Been Arrested
(Bloomberg) — Three South African government officials, including Health Department Director-General Sandile Buthelezi, were arrested and charged with fraud and theft of money allocated to the country by the Global Fund, one of the world’s largest infectious-disease charities.
Buthelezi was arrested along with an acting deputy director-general at the department and its chief financial officer, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation and the National Prosecuting Authority said. They were granted bail of 10,000 rand ($620) each after appearing in Pretoria’s Specialized Commercial Crimes Court and will return on June 3.
“The minister is still in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the arrest,” the health ministry said, referring to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi. “The law must take its course.”
“Irregular Appointment”
The NPA said the three face two counts of theft and fraud totaling more than 1 million rand linked to the irregular appointment of companies to investigate and chair a disciplinary hearing for a suspended official. Both service providers were paid with Global Fund money intended to support training and outbreak response.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in power since 2018, has pledged to crack down on corruption that has hollowed out state institutions. Last month he underscored the need to intensify efforts against organized crime and systemic graft after “identifying these as critical threats to democracy and economic stability,” the government said in a separate statement related to the arrests.
The Switzerland-based Global Fund raises and invests about $5 billion a year to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria and is funded mainly by governments of wealthy nations, with some private contributions. It didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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