The Finance MEC in Gauteng is speaking on the audit failure of Gauteng Health repeatedly. Photo by Independent Media
(The Post News) – Gauteng’s Department of Health continues to face significant governance challenges, with no signs of meaningful improvement, despite the mounting consequences. In the most recent Auditor-General’s report covering the 2024/25 financial year, Gauteng Province saw improvements across some departments. A total of eight departments achieved clean audit outcomes, and 14 out of 19 provincial entities, such as the Gautrain and Gauteng Film Commission, also delivered clean audits.
However, the Department of Health once again stood out, and not for the right reasons. The department was singled out for non-compliance across all key areas, notably in grant administration, procurement, asset management, and delayed and unpaid vendor invoices.
Irregular Spending & Financial Mismanagement
Gauteng’s Finance MEC, Lebogang Maile, has revealed that provincial departments racked up a staggering R4.2 billion in irregular spending during the 2024/25 financial year. While many government entities are showing signs of progress, the Health and Education Departments remain a major concern.
Speaking at a media briefing in Johannesburg, Maile noted that 14 out of 19 provincial entities managed to achieve clean audits, a sign that financial controls are starting to improve in some areas. But he warned that not all departments are keeping up.
“Most of our departments and entities have shown real improvement in financial management. This shows that public funds are increasingly being used for what they are meant for, delivering services to the people of Gauteng. But irregular expenditure is still rising, and that’s worrying,” Maile said.
He explained that irregular expenditure happens when departments don’t follow proper supply chain rules when buying goods and services. Departments such as Infrastructure Development, Agriculture and Rural Development, Social Development, Health, and Human Settlements have all failed to move forward, still sitting with audit findings linked to non-compliance.
Governance Failures & Structural Issues
The department’s chronic underperformance appears deeply systemic:
Efforts to clean up corruption through lifestyle audits to see if officials’ wealth matches their salaries are moving at a snail’s pace. While supply chain and finance staff are now being looked at, Gauteng’s Health Department has yet to carry out audits for past years. This gap leaves the door wide open for corruption to slip through unchecked.
The problem is not new. The Auditor-General has already raised red flags about how some hospital CEOs were hired. At Steve Biko and George Mukari hospitals, people were appointed to top posts even though they didn’t have the senior management experience required by law. This not only broke the rules but also showed just how weak the department’s internal checks and balances are.
There have been some disciplinary steps, but they often come too late. At Anglo Ashanti Hospital, for instance, five officials were fired after being found guilty of corruption, while others got away with lighter penalties. While these dismissals send an important message, they highlight a bigger issue: the department only acts after scandals erupt, instead of preventing them in the first place.
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