The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has lodged criminal charges against Lerato Madyo, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the provincial Health Department, for her alleged failure to act on whistle-blower Babita Deokaran’s warnings of large-scale fraud at Tembisa Hospital.

Shortly before her murder in 2021, Deokaran messaged Madyo: “Morning CFO, I am just worried that the guys in Tembisa are going to realise we are onto something. Our lives could be in danger.”

Despite initially freezing R104 million in suspicious payments that Deokaran had flagged, Madyo later authorised them. She also failed to follow through on Deokaran’s recommendation for a full forensic investigation into other suspicious transactions.

The DA said the Gauteng Health Department had: “dragged out her disciplinary enquiry on 13 misconduct charges for two years” and then allowed Madyo: “to resign shortly before a finding was to be made, so she walked off with her pension and R3 million paid to her while she was suspended.”

The party added that Madyo: “is surely a chief suspect amongst the small number of those who could have tipped off the mastermind behind Babita’s murder.”

Madyo faces numerous charges, such as failing to report corruption, conspiracy to commit fraud, and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.

“The DA is laying these charges to ensure the police urgently investigate the alleged serious crimes and offences committed by Lerato Madyo,” the party said. “We will not rest until all those implicated in the theft of more than R2 billion from Tembisa Hospital are charged and convicted in court...including the kingpins of the various syndicates who looted public money with fake companies, and most important of all, the mastermind who ordered Babita’s murder.”