Oxygen thieves to blame in dodgy R800m tender? With Jan Gerber

An independent investigation into a massive government-sanctioned tender to provide 60 of our country’s hospitals with critical medical-grade oxygen has exposed many serious red flags throughout the procurement process. The DA’s Public Works and Infrastructure Minister in the government of national unity (GNU), Dean Macpherson, launched an investigation into alleged corruption within the state agency, the Independent Development Trust (IDT), late last year. The first findings from the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) probe are now public, and they paint a picture of paralytic procurement problems throughout. To detail what’s been uncovered, we’re joined in our Cape Town studios in this edition of The Lead by our senior Parliamentary correspondent, Jan Gerber. Later in the show, the Joburg mother of a child who made her three-year-old son smoke drugs on camera is now in police custody. Finally, FlySafAir’s pilot strike sees domestic trips soar with international price tags. You can send show host Graeme Raubenheimer a short voice note with your questions or thoughts on this episode to our official The Lead WhatsApp line, that’s: +27 72 562 3179. Mail your comments to thelead@24.com. Editions drop on Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.