City Press reports that operating without an approved structure since 2006, lack of regular skills audits and irregular appointments have been identified by senior staff members at the Gauteng health department as major catalysts for the continued corruption and incompetence that have plagued the department in recent years.  

The department has in recent months again been thrust into the spotlight as a result of tens of millions of rands worth of irregular Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement.  According to senior staffers, “the fault does not merely lie with who was at the helm when incidents such as the PPE scandal this year, Life Esidimeni in 2016 or even the R1.2 billion irregular contract awarded in 2007 happened.  What ensured that such incidents happened and continue to recur is that operational requirements are not adhered to.”  One staff member commented that what was most concerning – and what had left the department susceptible to senior officials flaunting departmental regulations, both financial and operational – was the fact that “Gauteng health has been without an approved structure since 2006, when Dr Gwen Ramokgopa was still MEC”.  Operating without an approved structure is against the regulations of the public service and administration department, the Public Finance Management Act, the Public Service Act and National Treasury.  Acting Gauteng Health MEC Jacob Mamabolo’s spokesperson confirmed that the department was working without an approved organisational structure, but said they were working on finalising it.  Mamabolo, however, denied that skills audits had not been done, saying that “skills audits are conducted on an ongoing basis and not in an arbitrary manner”.  The most recent one was apparently conducted in 2017.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Juniour Khumalo at City Press (paywall access only)

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