The health department in South Africa’s Gauteng province is reviewing all security vetting processes for senior officials, amid concerns among opposition legislators that some have been appointed without passing a security audit.

The department has come under heavy scrutiny lately after its head Bandile Masuku was fired following a finding by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) that he had failed to take appropriate action on dodgy contracts for the provision of personal protective equipment (PPEs) related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party in the province run by the African National Congress, said Jacob Mamabolo, who is currently acting in Masuku’s position, had indicated the review was underway while responding to questions in parliament.

“Jacob Mamabolo has disclosed in an oral reply to my questions at yesterday’s sitting of the Gauteng legislature that his department is conducting a review of all security vetting processes of senior officials,” DA head of health in the province Jack Bloom said.

Bloom said he had asked Mamabolo how many senior officials had been appointed since January 2019 without passing a security audit.

“I am concerned that this information is not currently available but I am encouraged that he has taken the matter seriously by doing a security review of appointments which will be made public when completed,” Bloom said.

“I suspect that a number of officials appointed without security vetting were involved in the awarding of corrupt PPE contracts.”

Among other Gauteng officials under probe by the SIU is Thandi Pino, currently under suspension, who was appointed chief director supply chain management in March without a security clearance because, as Mamabolo told the provincial legislature, the health department was still looking for an agency to conduct vetting.

“The lack of security vetting is a symptom of the deep rot in this department where proper procedures have been ignored for many years so that unscrupulous people can benefit,” Bloom said on Wednesday.

“I hope that the review that is being done leads to accountability for the alarming lack of security audits.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year ordered the SIU to investigate allegations of widespread graft around state procurement to fight the coronavirus crisis.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Khusela Diko was forced to go on leave after it emerged that her husband’s company might have been awarded a multi-million rand PPE tender on the strength of the couple’s family ties with Gauteng’s Masuku and his wife.