E Cape health chief hits back at ‘jobs for pals’ charges

Abstract

The Eastern Cape health department’s corruption-busting director-general, Dr Siva Pillay, is an unabashed multi-millionaire property developer who is using his considerable business clout to ‘turn the department around’ – not add to his fortune via ‘jobs for pals’.
That’s his core rebuttal of allegations from among the swathe of former senior officials who have either been sacked or resigned (many facing charges of fraud and corruption) since he was appointed to South Africa’s hottest provincial health seat in February last year. He has overseen the charging of more than 648 officials, from clerks to departmental heads, for various crooked practices. At last count, 297 had been dismissed or had resigned.