The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Free State, Phaladi Shuping, says during the aforementioned period, the 52-year-old Mahlatsi was overseeing the department alongside his co-accused in the case, and suspended registrar of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), David Motau.

The state maintains that Motau and Mahlatsi were notified by the Auditor-General (AG) that something was amiss with respect to R8 million worth of tenders awarded between January 2011 and December 2015. The two accounting officers stand accused of not acting against this corruption, and as such contravening the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

The Health Department had two accounting officers at the time because it was under administration and therefore was under the watch of the provincial finance department – where Mahlatsi was stationed before being moved in 2021. 

Mahlatsi has handed himself over to the Hawks on Friday morning and has since been granted R5000 bail. He will return with the rest of his co-accused on 14 March in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court. It is here that the state will hand over its provisional indictment to the court.

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Overall, there are 16 accused and 6 companies in the case. It’s alleged the companies involved falsified and forged documents, invoicing the department for services that allegedly were never rendered. 

Motau, on the other end, was suspended by the Health Ministry from the HPCSA after much back and forth. He was last reported to be challenging the suspension legally. The current status of his legal bid is unknown at this stage.

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