'Urgent arrests, not prayers will address corruption at Tembisa Hospital'

THE national day of prayer event, which was meant to be held at the Tembisa Hospital on Thursday, would have never resolved the corruption that contributed to the death of young businessman Shonisani Lethole, says his mother Patricia. 

The event with a poster bearing the face of Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, has since been ‘postponed’ after some social media users slammed it as insensitive. 

It was organised in light of the the Special Investigative Unit (SIU) report which revealed that over R2 billion was looted from the hospital between 2018 to 2022.

Shonisani died after being starved for over 100 hours at Tembisa Hospital in 2021. 

Lethole slammed the prayer day initiative, saying no matter how badly prayer is needed, it would never resolve the corruption that contributed to Shonisani’s death.

"What use is prayer when people have suffered due to corruption. I was not aware of this prayer meeting, and to think that it was arranged by leaders leaves much to be desired. Maybe they thought that this would cleanse them of their demons, but it will not because we need people to be arrested for the crimes they committed," she said.

Responding to the postponement of the prayer event, Lesufi, through his spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, said the event did not get the blessing from the Premier's office, which was equally surprised by the use of his image on the poster.

"The Office of the Gauteng Premier has become aware of a poster circulating on social media and other platforms promoting a 'Prayer Day' for Tembisa Hospital scheduled for 9 October 2025.

"This poster incorrectly features a picture of Premier Panyaza Lesufi, implying his endorsement and attendance. The Office of the Premier wants to categorically state that Premier Lesufi was not aware of the 'Prayer Day' session and the event was never part of his schedule of events or activities," said Mhlanga.

Mhlanga said Lesufi immediately took action as soon as he was made aware of the poster.

"As soon as the Premier became aware of it, he advised the organisers to withdraw the poster and cancel the event. So, the event is no longer happening. Premier Lesufi's focus remains unequivocally on the urgent work of restoring good governance and public trust in Tembisa Hospital," he added.

Mhlanga said that Lesufi, 'like all those concerned about the Tembisa Hospital corruption, would like to see the implementation of the recommendations of the SIU investigative report'. 

"He has reiterated his commitment to ensuring that his office works closely with the Gauteng Department of Health to implement, without delay, all recommendations contained in the recently released Special Investigating Unit (SIU) interim report. This includes ensuring that swift and decisive action is taken against all officials implicated in the report, in line with the government's commitment to accountability and clean administration," he said.

Cape Times