Note to the Editors: English Soundbite by the DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Health, Madeleine Hicklin MPL
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng demands the immediate firing of the Head of Department (HOD) for Health, Lesiba Arnold Malotana, instead of being placed on suspension, with full pay.
For years, this non-performing HOD has received high-level protection from Premier Panyaza Lesufi despite his name being linked to numerous scandals and a Special Investigative Unit (SIU) investigation into allegations that he received a multi-million-rand bribe to approve a contract, along with other officials in the department.
In August this year, during a question session with the Premier, Premier Lesufi offered a terse reply to Dr Jack Bloom MPL, the DA’s Shadow MEC of Health, when he questioned whether Malotana had failed his lifestyle audit or not. Lesufi responded that he was ‘awaiting the finalisation of the audit’ and stated that ‘he was not accountable to the DA, he was accountable to the ANC’. But the Premier is wrong: he is answerable to the citizens of Gauteng, not to internal factions of the ANC.
The DA will continue to push for the firing of non-performing HODs like Malotana who has headed a department synonymous with one scandal after another including the assassination of whistleblower, Babita Deokoran who uncovered the R2 billion scandal that has crippled Tembisa Hospital; the underspending of R725 million in the last financial year, and R250 million meant to provide treatment to cancer patients across the province that was returned to National Treasury.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government will continue to provide ethical leadership to all its citizens, an accountable government, and deliver professional services in the best interests of its citizens, not for the benefit of a political party. This will be done through firing corrupt officials and hiring competent ones who can deliver services. We will not protect corrupt officials at the expense of service delivery.