It is shocking that it has taken the ANC so many years to relieve the Eastern Cape MEC for Health, Sindiswa Gomba, of her office. The Premier of the province, Oscar Mabuyane, announced her dismissal on the morning of 18 February 2021, during a virtual news conference.
Gomba has been surrounded by controversy for quite some time with serious allegations and charges levelled against her while the province’s healthcare services deteriorated at an alarming pace.
She, along with fourteen co-accused, appeared before the Magistrate’s Court in East London last Friday on charges of fraud and corruption that relate to the memorial service and funeral of former President Nelson Mandela.
But the FF Plus demanded Gomba’s head last year already after the pressure on healthcare services due to Covid-19 brought to light that various provincial hospitals and clinics are not able to provide proper medical service delivery.
Among other things, staff members refused to work due to overtime pay that they did not receive and a lack of protective gear.
Numerous units of the Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth were not functional, dangerous medical waste accumulated in corridors and bedlinen was not regularly washed.
Important clinics, like the Motherwell Community Health Centre, were forced to close their doors due to a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the poor state of the facilities. Seriously ill patients were turned away.
Gomba was responsible for the procurement of one hundred motorbikes that were supposed to be used as “ambulances”, but ended up being no more than a shocking waste of money.
Under Gomba’s leadership, the province’s healthcare system basically collapsed and there are serious allegations of corruption and fraud against her. And yet the ANC kept her in office year after year. Once again, the province’s residents have paid the price for the umpteenth instance of ANC cadre enrichment.
Xolile Nqatha, MEC for Cooperative Governance, will serve as acting MEC for Health and the FF Plus will monitor the situation closely to see whether the healthcare system in the province improves.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Theo Coetzee on FF Plus
