The Gauteng Department of Health has launched an investigation into allegations that officials at public hospitals and clinics are accepting bribes from patients to bypass queues and access services faster, as reported by IOL and SABC News on 25 August 2026. Department spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed the probe, saying the allegations were serious enough to warrant immediate scrutiny of whether staff were soliciting or accepting payments from patients.
The complaints allege that officials have been accepting money in exchange for scheduling appointments, retrieving patient files, and facilitating faster collection of medication at public facilities. No specific hospital, clinic, or individual suspect has been named in the reports, and the department has not disclosed how many complaints it has received.
The allegations are so serious that we have commenced to investigate the credibility of those allegations and also to understand whether our officials are soliciting or accepting bribes from patients.
Mabona told SABC News that the department was treating the matter with urgency. The department said patients must access services through established processes and that no person should be allowed to use money to gain an advantage in the public healthcare system.
The department condemned bribery and corruption, stating that patients should not be required to pay for services they are entitled to receive free of charge. Patients approached for bribes were urged to report incidents immediately, preferably while still at the healthcare facility, and the department encouraged the public not to remain silent when confronted with corruption.
The investigation comes amid broader scrutiny of corruption within Gauteng’s health sector, including the Special Investigating Unit’s probe into alleged looting at Tembisa Hospital, where News24 and TimesLive have reported on kickbacks and fraudulent contracts potentially exceeding R500 million. The SIU’s interim report on Tembisa Hospital, published on the South African government website, detailed systemic procurement irregularities that prompted further criminal investigations.
The specific facilities under scrutiny, the number of officials implicated, and the expected timeline for the investigation remain unknown. CapeFlats.co.za has not independently verified the bribery allegations, which rest on the department’s confirmation that complaints were received, and the underlying conduct has not been proven in court or through a formal finding.
No Gauteng health official has been formally charged in connection with the queue-jumping allegations, and the department has not indicated when its investigation will conclude. This article will be updated once the department releases findings, names specific facilities, or if Western Cape health authorities report similar complaints at clinics or hospitals in Cape Town or the Cape Flats.