The results of the disciplinary proceedings against two senior officials implicated in the Digital Vibes controversy have been confirmed by the Department of Health.
The agency claims that Dr. Anban Pillay, the deputy director general in charge of health regulations and compliance, and Popo Maja, the head of communications, have each received a final written warning and a pay reduction of one level.
This follows the suspension of Pillay, Maja, and Shireen Pardesi last year as a result of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and an independent forensic audit firm’s investigations into the erroneous awarding of the R150 million National Health Insurance (NHI) and COVID-19 media campaign contract, won by Digital Vibes.
Following the revelations in the SIU report on the shady contract, the Office of the State Attorney in the Department of Justice appointed an Independent Senior Counsel to preside over the disciplinary hearing.
Pillay and Maja both had four complaints against them, and according to the disciplinary report that they got last month, they were either found guilty of one charge or two charges. Meanwhile, Pardesi was accused of two charges and found guilty on one.
“As part of the consultation, the Presiding Officer requested the Department of Health, through the Office of the State Attorney, to submit submissions into potential sanctions and permitted the legal representatives of the employees to make representations on mitigating factors, and allowed the parties to share notes, where possible.”
According to the department, “The chairperson considered the evidence obtained, his findings, and the representations by the parties.”
The department claims that the chairperson took into account the fact that all those accused were first-time offenders and that there was no evidence to suggest they profited from the transactions.
Based on all the information, the Presiding Officer confirmed that Pillay would be given a final written warning with a 15-month expiration date, three months of unpaid leave, and a 12-month salary level reduction.
Maja has also been given a final written warning, valid for 12 months and a salary level demotion for 12 months.
Pardesi, on the other hand, has been given permission to leave the department with immediate effect.