Mhlaba Memela

Mhlaba Memela

A lawyer representing suspended KwaZulu-Natal department of health head Busi Nyembezi has threatened to take Premier Sbu Ndebele to court if he failed to give him a report implicating his client in fraud.

Suren Naidoo said yesterday he was losing patience with Ndebele and the province's director-general, Kwazi Mbanjwa.

Naidoo said he would be forced to take the matter to court if there was no favourable response to his official request for a copy of the independent report that implicates Nyembezi in a R15million tender scam.

Naidoo told Sowetan that he wrote a formal letter to Mbanjwa and Ndebele's office two weeks ago requesting a copy of the report.

"I have not received any correspondence from the premier or anyone from his office.

"We might consider taking the matter to court to force them to avail the report to our client," he said.

Naidoo said he was "fed up with the attitude displayed by the officials in these offices".

"I don't know why we are not getting a response from government because we did send formal correspondence on the matter."

Nyembezi was suspended a month ago after Ndebele had received a damning report on allegations of fraud and corruption against her.

The report was compiled by independent investigators from law firm Strauss Daly.

Ndebele appointed the firm to investigate the health department's operations, including the soured relations between Nyembezi and MEC for health Peggy Nkonyeni.

Nyembezi is alleged to have embezzled more than R15million by awarding tenders to her own company, Harambe Institute for Transformation.

She is expected to appear before a disciplinary hearing sometime this month.

A senior government official told Sowetan there were fears that the report also implicated several top-ranking people, including politicians.

Attempts to get comment from Mbanjwa drew a blank yesterday.

Last month, after the report was released, Mbanjwa had to make it public.