13 suspended Gauteng health staff paid R790 000

15 March 2020

The Gauteng Health Department has paid R790 000 to 13 employees who are currently suspended pending disciplinary action against them.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Masuku, the suspended staff include four directors, two deputy directors, two social workers, two contract workers, an operation manager, a property caretaker and a radiographer.

One staff member is on special leave - this is Advocate Mpelegeng Lebeloane who is “working from home while awaiting investigation by the Public Service Commission into the functionality of the unit under her leadership.”

Lebeloane has a chequered history with the Department - she was former Health MEC Gwen Ramokhopa’s personal assistant when she was fired in January 2006 for misusing state property but was later absolved on appeal. When Ramokgopa returned as Health MEC in February 2017, she employed Lebeloane to head the legal unit. I received a number of complaints about her high-handed management style, so I am not surprised that the PSC is investigating her.

The Department needs to employ better people and speed up its disciplinary investigations as it is expensive to pay suspended employees for long periods of time.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 15 March 2020