Tembisa Hospital looting amounted to more than corruption, The Citizen says

The Citizen has characterised the looting of Tembisa Hospital as more than corruption, saying the theft of public funds deprived patients of care and amounted to “economic terrorism” and “murder.” The remarks follow a High Court forfeiture order targeting assets linked to the syndicate allegedly run by tender kingpin Hangwani Maumela.

What The Citizen says

According to The Citizen, the absence of funds from the hospital’s budget “undoubtedly meant that some patients received inadequate care – or none at all,” and that “given the number of people going to the hospital, undoubtedly some of them died because of that lack of resources.”

“That is more than looting: it is economic terrorism. It is murder.”

Legal action and calls for tougher measures

The Citizen noted a recent High Court order that authorised the Asset Forfeiture Unit to seize assets allegedly connected to the syndicate. The seized assets reportedly totalled R326 million and included luxury vehicles, boats and a mansion.

The publication expressed support for the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s position that asset forfeiture should be followed by prosecutions, supplier blacklisting and long jail terms. According to The Citizen, stripping syndicates of luxury goods “is no substitute for prison cells” when looted funds leave patients without care.

Suggested legal response

According to The Citizen, lawmakers can go further by creating statutes that impose harsh sentences on those whose looting causes harm or death: “You take a life, you spend the rest of yours behind bars.”

Why this matters

The Citizen framed the case against the syndicate as a moral and legal test: beyond recovering assets, the response should ensure accountability that reflects the human cost of the alleged corruption at Tembisa Hospital.