Johannesburg – The Gauteng infrastructure development department has delayed payments to 129 service providers working for the health department, the DA said on Wednesday.

“This was revealed [on Tuesday] by Infrastructure Development MEC Qedani Mahlangu in response to my questions in the Gauteng legislature,” DA spokesperson Jack Bloom said in a statement.

He said 88 of the companies were not paid within 30 days as required by law, and 41 service providers were owed money for more than 90 days.

“This is a shocking pattern of late payments that has caused much of the delay in building and maintaining clinics and hospitals in Gauteng.”

Bloom said the problem was caused by the delay in transferring money from the health to the infrastructure development department that paid the companies.

The health department declined to comment.

Infrastructure development department spokesperson Athi Geleba said comment would be provided later.

– SAPA