Most health managers are political appointees: DA will take this up in the new session

Research showing that most Health Department staff were employed for their affiliation to the ANC, and that most have no management training, explains why so many of our clinics throw pregnant mothers out into the street and why so many of our hospitals do not have basic medicines (see here). If there is no leadership coming from the top, no system will ever work properly. 

This research came out of a report presented at the fourth South African Aids Conference in Durban.

Once the new parliamentary session begins, the Democratic Alliance (DA) will make addressing these crony appointments a priority. We will ask for all the CVs of all health department managers and information on who else applied for their posts, and we will work to have minimum requirements for new appointments enforced. 

A key example of the trend identified in this report is the Director-General of Health, Thami Mseleku. Despite the fact that the department he manages has received a qualified audit report in every year since he was appointed in 2005, his contract continues to be extended.

Mr Mseleku is qualified as a linguist and has no health expertise. In an analysis of his performance in 2006, the Mail & Guardian concluded that "Mseleku's lack of health knowledge has been his biggest disadvantage. Many of his senior staff lack respect for him because of it and it may also be the reason he appears to shun health sector stakeholders".

The level of de-motivation and discouragement amongst capable managers in the department is indicated by the fact that of the 24 senior management positions, nine are vacant (more than a third). Amongst the vacant posts are the following critical posts:  

• HIV/Aids and sexually transmitted diseases
• Maternal, child and women's health
• Hospital Services
• Primary Health Care

This crony approach to making appointments filters down to lower levels. In parliamentary questions asked by the DA, it has become clear that many hospital managers and CEOs are also not qualified to do their jobs.

Statement issued by Mike Waters MP, Democratic Alliance spokesperson on health, April 2 2009

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