29 July 2026 by Pascalinah Kabi

Tšele Sehlabo, the Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital finance manager who was hired despite allegedly failing his job interview, struggled to provide a detailed account of a M30,000 petty cash withdrawal when the hospital appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on 29 July 2026.

The issue arose after PAC chairperson ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie asked Sehlabo to explain the M30,000 transaction withdrawn from the hospital’s First National Bank (FNB) account and outline the procedures followed to access the funds.

Sehlabo explained that petty cash withdrawals are processed after the hospital submits a letter to the bank signed by any two of its four authorised signatories.

“The hospital has four signatories – myself, Dr Ngoei, ‘m’e Thenjiwe and ‘m’e Tau – and any two can sign. These withdrawals are meant for petty cash. On average, we withdraw around M20,000 each month, although in some months the amount can reach M30,000,” he said.

He said the money is used to meet urgent day-to-day operational needs across the hospital.

“For example, the maintenance department may need to purchase a theatre light, or the administration department may require fuel for a vehicle transporting a patient to Bloemfontein,” he explained.

However, when asked to account for the specific M30,000 withdrawal, Sehlabo could not provide clear examples of expenditure.

He asked hospital Information Technology (IT) and Administration Managers to explain their expenditures. The IT department said they used M500 to purchase two phones and M400 worth of airtime (IT department), while the administration department spent M2,500 on fuel, bringing the total to M3, 400.

The explanations left the majority of the M30,000 withdrawal unaccounted for during the committee hearing. The PAC is investigating, among other issues, allegations of deeply entrenched corruption at the hospital following the government’s takeover of its operations in August 2021. The inquiry is examining concerns over financial management, procurement practices, governance, and the use of public funds during the post-takeover period.