Cape Town – Defence Minister Thandi Modise has confirmed an investigation was under way into the alleged inflating of invoices by a service provider after they overcharged the department by millions of rands.
Modise said preliminary findings showed that the company had billed the department R15 million instead of R3 million.
She said this showed the department was overcharged by R12 m, but the investigations were on-going.
She said they have since suspended the services of the company.
DA MP Kobus Marais had asked questions about the company, Maponya 911 Ambulance Service, of overcharging the department and other alleged incidents of wrongdoing in transporting patients from one military base to 1 Military Hospital in Tshwane and from Johannesburg to 1 Military hospital.
Modise said she has not yet been informed of this, but the surgeon-general and chief of the SANDF have been made aware of this.
“No, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans is not yet informed. However, yes, the Chief of the SANDF and the Surgeon-General of the SAMHS (South African Military Health Service) have been informed of the specific service provider. A preliminary investigation is under way and the investigating team could at this stage trace invoices to the total amount of R15 640 487.95 paid to Maponya 911 service. The actual amount was supposed to be R3 439 084.75 as per findings, which has a difference of R12 201 403.20 as over-billing. The services have since been suspended with effect from March 2021. These amounts can only be finalised pending further investigations,” said Modise.
POLITICAL BUREAU