Long delays in disciplining Gauteng health personnel

8 September 2019

The Gauteng Health Department has 84 disciplinary cases that date back more than six months, and two cases have dragged on for more than a year.

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

The one case that has lasted more than a year involves remuneration of work outside working hours, and the other one involves acting beyond authority, fraudulent travelling claims and non-compliance to policy.

Furthermore, 18 officials have been paid R2 052 464 while suspended on full pay.

According to Masuku, the long delays are due to “complexity of cases, unnecessary postponements and capacity constraints.”

Personnel management is a serious weakness in the Gauteng Health Department.

Lack of speedy and effective discipline leads to poor work performance and also lawlessness such as the trashing of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital in May last year, with no-one yet held responsible.

This is one of a host of issues that need to be fixed before grandiose NHI plans can be seriously contemplated.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC, 8 September 2019