Johannesburg - The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has demanded that controversial ANC members, Brian Hlongwa and Qedani Mahlangu, be removed as Gauteng ANC PEC officials. The organisation is also demanding that the two be jailed.
Hundreds of TAC and Corruption Watch members marched to Gauteng Legislature on Tuesday. They demanded to be addressed by Gauteng Premier David Makhura. Mahlangu resigned as the political head of the Gauteng health following the Life Esidimeni tragedy which resulted in the deaths of 144 patients after they were removed from Life Esidimeni to unlicensed NGOs.
The former MEC has been largely blamed for the deaths as she had signed off on the removal of patients' as part of "cost cutting measures" the department was undertaking.
Hlongwa's controversies have resurfaced after he was implicated in a Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report that uncovered corrupt and fraudulent dealings worth R1.2 billion while he was the MEC for health in Gauteng.
The corrupt dealings happened between 2006 and 2009. The report by the SIU was concluded and its findings were handed to former president Jacob Zuma, but nothing was done.
Video: Zintle Mahlati/IOL
Hlongwa now serves as the ANC’s chief whip at the Gauteng Legislature.
The TAC’s Sbongile Tshabalala said the organisation could not allow Hlongwa and Mahlangu to stay on leading while they had not accounted for their actions.
The Speaker of the legislature signs. But where was David Makhura? #GPHealthCrisis #LifeEsidimeni #GDoHCorruption pic.twitter.com/zg6pEebtFy
— TAC (@TAC) August 7, 2018
“We are here today because the ANC has kept thieves within them. Qedani has killed over 100 people. She lied. We cannot tolerate liars to lead us. Hlongwa stole money with his friends, the Gauteng health is in a crisis because of him. Infrastructure is collapsing because of corruption, said Tshabalala.
The DA, EFF and FF Plus supported the protest and promised that they’d continue pushing for the ANC to account for keeping Mahlangu and Hlongwa.