The Hawks have raided the home and business premises of African National Congress (ANC) Ekurhuleni treasurer-general Sello Sekhokho as part of investigations into the R1-billion Tembisa Hospital tender scandal.

Sekhokho is a central figure in an alleged extraction scheme first discovered and reported by Babita Deokaran three weeks before she was murdered in August 2021.

Sekhokho has previously denied impropriety. Three companies owned by the ANC strongman have, in three years, seemingly scored contracts worth nearly R100-million from the Gauteng Department of Health.

They supplied everything from food to medical gear, while his security company did a roaring trade selling overpriced clothing, according to ledgers supplied by the department.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Captain Lloyd Ramovha said teams of detectives swooped in on the house in Bedfordview and offices in Germiston and Edenvale to execute a search and seizure warrant. 

Sekhokho is not named in the statement, but impeccable sources - who spoke anonymously - confirmed that the businessman-cum-politician was the target of the operation. 

"The action is informed by the ongoing investigation into alleged tender irregularities that resulted in approximately R1-billion rand being siphoned from the Gauteng Department of Health," said Ramovha.

"It is a sequel operation to the one that was executed at the Tembisa Hospital premises towards the end of 2022." 

Last year, Hawks investigators seized mountains of documents and computers from the embattled Ekurhuleni hospital. Ramovha added that the Tembisa scheme "reportedly thrived by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) infringement".

"This was made possible through tender manipulation, kickbacks, inflated prices and or duplicated invoices amongst other contraventions." 

"Various electronic gadgets, as well as documentary proof, have been seized to allow for further investigation.

"No arrests have been affected at this stage, pending further investigation," he said.

When News24 approached Sekhokho for comment, he confirmed that detectives "were busy".

The story will be updated if a more substantial response is received.