THE Democratic Alliance in the KZN Legislature has reacted with alarm to media speculation that controversial national health director general, Thami Mseleku, may be appointed by Premier Zweli Mkhize as the new director-general of the province.
Mseleku courted controversy during his tenure with Manto Tshabalala-Msimang at the health department. He is an unashamed sympathiser and defender of the infamous and discredited Matthias Raath and his vitamins. Mseleku exonerated Raath from any wrongdoing, before the Medicine Controls Council investigation into Raath and his pills had even been concluded. Mseleku even went as far as to interfere to secure the release of a consignment of Raath's vitamin pills, impounded by the Cape port authorities, back to Raath for distribution.
In addition, Mseleku has waged war on the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and other AIDS NGO's securing both the TAC and Aids Law Project's (ALP) exclusion from the special session on AIDS hosted by the United Nations general assembly. He has also publicly denounced and attacked aids activists in both the TAC and the ALP. More worrying however is that under Mseleku's leadership in the department of health, the department received several qualified audit reports.
It would be a total disaster if Premier Mkhize were to appoint Mseleku as the provincial director-general. KZN is the province with the highest incidence of HIV-AIDS and the last thing we need is the quackery and crackpot views of the likes of Mseleku. Premier Mkhize would be better advised to look at existing staff in the provincial administration to fill this important position.
If the Premier insists on appointing someone from outside then he should seek to appoint a good administrator with an excellent track record rather than a national government reject. The appointment of Mseleku would smack of cadre deployment of the worst kind and send the wrong message to the citizens of KZN."
Statement issued by John Steenhuisen, MPL Democratic Alliance caucus leader in the KZN Legislature, August 3 2009
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