Shocking twist in theft tale

2003-11-03 16:26

Zenzele Kuhlase & Justin Arenstein

Nelspruit - Two corrupt Mpumalanga health officials escaped a jail sentence on Monday by turning state witness against shocked fellow members of an alleged hospital theft syndicate.

Matikwane hospital manager Richard Ubisi and Barberton hospital's Dr Patrick Jiyare both agreed to testify against alleged accomplices in a multimillion-rand equipment theft scandal that has already cost MEC Sibongile Manana and department head Riena Charles their jobs.

Manana and Charles have not been directly linked to the theft of X-Ray and other sophisticated equipment, but were axed last month for failing to curb massive mismanagement and corruption within the department.

Ubisi and Dr Jiyare startled their two co-accused when they unexpectedly told the Nelspruit regional court that they'd turned state witness.

Prosecutor Tim van Wyk confirmed all charges against the two had been withdrawn, on condition that they testify against Rob Ferreira hospital senior technician Deon Terblanche and local medical company director John Cornish.

Cornish then confessed to knowing that an X-Ray machine he bought from Terblanche for R600 000 was stolen from government.

Resell for profit

Cornish told magistrate Andre Geldenhuys that he'd intended to resell the machine at a profit to Dr Jiyare for use in his private practise.

Magistrate Geldenhuys accepted the reduced plea, and postponed Cornish's sentencing to January.

Terblanche has meanwhile not plead yet and his bail was reduced to R7 000 and the case postponed to November 28.

Terblanche's wife has meanwhile been named in an unrelated R20m tender scam involving Charles and is currently being probed by the Scorpions.

The two scams were uncovered as part of a wider police probe that netted 16 private sector doctors, state pharmacists, and hospital managers for medicine theft, tender fraud, and other irregularities.

The highest profile suspect is Dr Nkate Mamoepa, brother of foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa, who was arrested just hours after being appointed as a director on the Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB).

The theft syndicate is believed to have been at least partly responsible for chronic medicine shortages that endangered patients' lives at all major provincial hospitals between 2001 and 2002.

- African Eye