Staff Reporter
Embattled former head of the Free State Department of Health, Dr David Motau, has been placed on precautionary suspension by his new employer, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
Motau, who left the provincial health department a few months ago, was appointed HPCSA chief executive officer/registrar in June and the suspension follows his recent arrest and appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court facing numerous charges of breaching the Public Finance Management Act.
He is charged with 22 other alleged accomplices who include current and former employees of the department as well as service providers and their companies.
They are accused of contravening the PFMA, forgery, uttering, fraud, corruption and money laundering.
A statement issued on Thursday said Acting Minister of Health Mmamoloko Kubayi had placed Motau on precautionary suspension with immediate effective.
“The decision follows the department’s receipt of a notice of arrest against Dr Motau, in relation to serious allegations of fraud and corruption during his tenure as the head of the Free State Department of Health,” read part of the statement.
The acting health minister said the precautionary suspension has been necessitated by the seriousness of the allegations and the ramification to ethical dynamics in the health fraternity.
It is alleged that between January 2011 and December 2015, provincial health department officials facilitated and approved payments of claims for services that were not rendered by certain companies.
The companies, according to the state, were used by the officials as vehicles to commit the offences because they never rendered any service to the department.
The provincial health department has however disputed the allegations saying Motau was never supposed to be charged because he is the one who raised alarm on the alleged criminal acts and ordered the department to report the matter to the police, which was done.