No discipline for disgraced former Hospital CEO earning high salary for no work

16 October 2024

No disciplinary action has been taken against the disgraced former CEO of the Rahima Moosa Hospital, who still gets a top salary while doing no work.

This was disclosed yesterday by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in an oral reply to my questions at a sitting of the Gauteng Legislature.

Dr Nozuko Mkabayi was removed as the hospital CEO following a damning Health Ombud's report in March last year.

The Health Ombud made critical findings about her mismanagement of the hospital, as well as her misconduct such as irregularly working from home and unauthorised days off.

Despite recommending she be disciplined within one month, nothing has happened according to the MEC because she needed support for her mental condition.

Dr Mkabayi notoriously suspended Dr Tim de Maayer who bravely exposed poor conditions at the hospital, and she only backtracked after the public outcry.

Mkabayi was nevertheless given a top head office position as Acting Director: HAST, which covers HIV/Aids, Sexually Transmitted Infections and TB programmes, and she earns the same salary as a hospital CEO.

The MEC now says she is still an Acting Director earning R1.5 million a year, but no longer at work because of her mental state.

This is outrageous. After all the trouble she caused, she is now on a long running paid holiday at taxpayers' expense.
If she can't do any useful job, she should be medically boarded and leave the department.

This saga highlights the need to implement the DA policy of merit-based appointments and swift discipline for wrongdoing, which will ensure that hospital patients get the best possible care.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 16 October 2024