The fact that the head of the Northern Cape Department of Health was sentenced for one charge and arrested in connection with another in a single week raises the question of why he was appointed in that position in the first place.
Dr Dion Theys was first sentenced for irregular lease transactions amounting to R13 million and has now been charged with the irregular procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE).
That in itself is already controversial. But the fact that he was acting as the department head at the time of these events is no less than a disgrace.
Theys was suspended as acting department head early in 2022. At the time, both cases – the one dating from 2013 and the other from the Covid-19 pandemic – were still pending.
Theys returned to work in February this year after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) temporarily withdrew its case relating to the PPE procurement.
Theys claimed that it meant his good name has been restored, but the SIU stated that it does indeed have a case against him. They just needed more time to conduct their investigation.
Although he was previously appointed as a director and the department still did not have a permanent head by May this year, Theys has since been appointed to that position.
It seems that his conviction in the irregular lease case had no impact on his position, because on Tuesday, the department’s Facebook page still had him listed as the head of the department.
He also attended a performance evaluation in Upington in that capacity.
On Wednesday, two days after his sentencing, Theys and five more high-ranking officials in the department along with two individuals from the private sector were arrested in connection with alleged PPE-related fraud.
The fact that someone could still return to work amid an ongoing investigation and while having a case pending against him points to deep-rooted corruption. His promotion to head of the department points to a systemic absence of accountability in the provincial government.
While the FF Plus keeps a close eye on the upcoming court case, voters need to realise that this type of corruption can only be eradicated by unseating the ANC –
which they can do in the 2024 general elections. The Northern Cape deserves better than the ANC.
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