Dr Tshegofatso Gopane, a respected medical practitioner and the CEO and co-founder of Tshela Bophelo Wellness Solutions, has strongly rejected an allegation that she acted improperly in her company's contract with the Northern Cape Department of Education during the pandemic for COVID-19 readiness training. She has described the claim as factually inaccurate and completely baseless.

'This allegation is not only false, but profoundly offensive. It completely ignores the facts and distorts the timelines, and I believe it is highly irresponsible. I have spent more than 20 years building my career on honesty, service, and compassion, and I will not allow baseless claims to undermine that.'

~ Dr Gopane

Tshela Bophelo Wellness Solutions had worked with the Department since 2014, including having held an active contract at the time for HIV and life-skills training.

Furthermore, when the pandemic struck, the company quickly began running COVID-19 workplace readiness training for the private sector.

Due to Tshela Bophelo Wellness Solutions' strong history in COVID-19 training and its prior agreement with the Department of Education, the Department granted a contract in May 2020 to quickly educate schools and officials on COVID-19 safety measures.

'We submitted a proposal, the Department made the decision, and we delivered the work to a high standard. By August 2020, the bulk of the training had been completed and, to our knowledge, the Department was extremely satisfied with our team's delivery and performance. We were proud to step up to the challenge when our country needed it most, and hundreds of schools were safer because of our work.'

~ Dr Gopane

The controversy itself centres on a personal donation. Specifically, Dr Gopane gave R10,000 towards funeral expenses to Gobonamang Doris Sibiya, a Chief Director at the Department of Education, after her sister passed away in October 2020.

Critics allege that the payment links to the COVID-19 training contract, but this narrative quickly collapses under closer scrutiny.

'The facts are clear and undeniable. The contract was awarded in May 2020. The work was completed by August 2020. The bereavement and the donation happened in October 2020. We provided the death certificate to the Special Investigating Unit in 2023 to evidence this fact and there have been no questions since then until now. My contribution came from my personal account, not the company's, and it was made as a gesture of respect for someone I had known for many years through our work with the Department, to assist in a time of grief.'

'Suggesting a link to procurement is not only inaccurate in terms of the timeline of events, but also completely disregards widely accepted cultural norms in Africa, where offering financial support to colleagues during bereavement is customary.'

~ Dr Gopane

She also added that the accusation of undue influence ignores her long-standing record with the Department.

"We were already a trusted service provider for the Department for several years before the pandemic. Our reputation, track record, and expertise within the healthcare and education space secured that contract, and nothing else. The notion that a personal donation made to a single individual many months later somehow retroactively influenced procurement decisions by an entire department is absurd."

Dr Gopane confirmed that she will be engaging legal counsel to petition for the full withdrawal of the charges.