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Thabo Mothibi, Managing Editor, thabo@ncnn.live
The Northern Cape’s Health MEC Fufe Makatong has submitted reports to Premier Sylvia Lucas and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi in seeking interventions into the non-performance of some of the department’s top managers.
Albeit having dismissed a national newspaper report on the department being gripped by “a healthcare crisis” during a media briefing, Makatong acknowledged a string of challenges and pinpointed the “dereliction of duties” which she had sought a remedy for.
“My last engagement with the Premier through correspondence was last week, she wanted some more information from me to begin to look into issues. I responded. I gave the details that I thought would assist her to apply her mind and ultimately get to a decision that would assist all of us in ensuring the improvement of the quality of services by the department of health,” explained Makatong.
In a statement issued after the briefing and the NCNN.Live interview, she explained further in this context: “I wrote to the head of the administration but to no avail on the management failure I detected in the delivering of services to our people, as a consequence I took it upon myself to escalate my dissatisfaction with the Premier and the Minister of Health after countless time the administrative head failed to execute decisions towards improving organisational efficiencies.”
With the department bearing a history of procurement transgressions which resulted in investigations and personnel redeployment across functions, Makatong decried the continued lack of a procurement plan as the source of an unauthorised expenditure of R1,6 billion in the last financial year.
She also conceded a resistance in adjusting to things being done differently in a shift away from failed formulas. “If you have a standard practice and it does not give you the desired results, then it forces you to relook and rethink on how best to go about in ensuring better results,” said Makatong, adding that members of the legislature with oversight responsibility on the department have also called for action.
Meanwhile, Makatong denied that the department is in “a healthcare crisis” and “state of disarray” owing to being engulfed by the “acute shortage of staff, medicines and ambulances.” A national newspaper attributed the claims to a source and the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) provincial leader Andrew Louw.
Makatong said 10 out of 19 ambulances that were without license discs are back in circulation and that fleet at the medication depot Dr Arthur Letele has been increased by five panel vans.
“We working tirelessly with Provincial Treasury to reduce the vacancy rate for professionals – which includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists – that is estimated far below 20% as opposed to alleged 70% and 75% in the province. The Northern Cape vacancy rate for medical officers stands at 12%, medical specialists 26% and professional nurses 7%,” she said in response the claims of a lack of personnel.
According to Makatong, Upington’s Dr Harry Surtie Hospital has 41 medical doctors and De Aar secured 6 newly appointed ones. She also denied that the department is bankrupt and insisted that Kimberley’s new mental hospital which has costed an extra R1 billion and took over a decade to complete, will “open soon.”
By Thabo Mothibi
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Thabo Mothibi is a former broadcast journalist (TV and Radio) – with specialist reporting experience; SABC Political/Parliamentary and TRC Teams over a period of five years (1995 to 2000).
One key foreign assignment - is the 11-nation African Connection Rally – overland journey from Africa’s northern-most pole in the coastal Tunisian city of Bizerte to the southern-most pole in South Africa’s Cape Agulhas. From the journalistic years, Thabo then delved into Government media liaison and serving two former Ministers and three MECs. He became the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s first department based Communications Director at Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development - 2008-2010 – where he also served as Head of Ministry from 2003 – 2008.
As a former anti-apartheid activist, his political background and professional training aided him in spearheading the Northern Cape ANC’s 2004 National Elections media and publicity campaign and that of the 2006 Local Government Elections.
Whilst based in Waterkloof in Pretoria -2010 to end 2011, he consulted for Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence, then returned to the Northern Cape in 2012 to date, to consult independently and pursue other entrepreneurial interests in media and communications through KwaVuko Communications and Marketing.
Thabo Mothibi obtained his NQF7 through Wits University’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) in Johannesburg, a Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Marketing and Communications Academy (UMRA). The goal of the NQF7 programme was to educate and train public and private sector professional communicators and marketers in government communications..
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