DA to lay criminal charges against KZN Health MEC for blocking oversight inspections in the province
5 August 2020
Note to Editors: Please find attached a soundbite by Siviwe Gwarube MP, DA Shadow Minister of Health.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will today be laying criminal charges against the KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC, Ms Nomagugu Simelane- Zulu for blocking members of parliament from conducting oversight inspections in the province's health facilities.
Yesterday I undertook to visit Stanger Hospital and the adjacent field hospital which is being built in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This oversight inspection was meant to be followed by another to the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital in the province which has been plagued with challenges over the past 5 months.
While Members of Parliament are empowered to conduct unannounced oversight inspections at any public institution, because of the pressure placed on the system by the pandemic, we wrote to MEC Simelane- Zulu and her Head of Department last week alerting them to the inspection as a matter of courtesy.