The North West Department of Health has suspended four senior officials over allegations of tender irregularities.
Health MEC Madoda Sambatha said two of the officials are directors attached to the Infrastructure Development Technical Support chief directorate, including one director responsible for Infrastructure Planning and another responsible for Infrastructure Delivery.
The directors were suspended on 23 April 2020, due to allegations of irregular payments of departmental funds to service providers arising from a bid for additions and alterations to existing Mmabatho Nursing College, including all related site works.
The principal building agreement for construction works at Mmabatho Nursing College commenced on the 02 November 2015.
It is alleged that the officials within the Infrastructure Development and Technical Support chief directorate facilitated irregular insertion of the “contract price adjustment Provision”, which resulted in the contractor receiving undue enrichment in payments.
“The value estimated on this one amounts to R10 959 472 35, excluding VAT of adjustment/ escalation. This followed a preliminary investigation,” said the MEC at a media briefing on Wednesday.
The other two senior officials, including the department’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and a director responsible for Supply Chain Management (SCM) were also suspended on 8 May 2020, due to allegations of irregularities at SCM arising from a security tender.
“The appointment letter of the successful bidders allegedly contained the prices which materially varied from what those bidders had bid for thus inflating prices and causing the department serious financial loss. The value of the financial loss is not yet know, as investigations are to start after their suspension,” Sambatha said.
The suspensions are intended to allow the department to investigate the allegations, which are of a serious nature.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by Deputy President David Mabuza and Cabinet Ministers and the President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) met on Friday, 28 February 2020.
The extended PCC meeting included premiers of the 9 provinces, mayors of 44 district and 8 metropolitan municipalities. It convened to assess progress on the District Development Model (DDM) implementation. It resolved that all spheres of government must work together for efficient service delivery at a local level.
Definition – joining the dots in districts for integration
DDM model explained SABC
The DDM approach aims to improve integrated planning across government with the creation and implementation of ‘One Plan’ per district or metro. It brings together all partners to stop dysfunctional silos and to make a joint plan across departments with relevant stakeholders. Local partners include business, civil society, faith based communities and traditional leaders in a compact for development.
Piloted in 3 district municipalities (OR Tambo, Waterberg and Ethekwini) the DDM represents a paradigm shift in government’s efforts to build a coherent and coordinated state.
More than R70 billion of public sector investments have been made in the in the three pilot sites since August 2019. A further 20 districts are to be included by the end of 2020 with all districts covered by 2021.
An analysis of the lessons learnt so far confirms the enormity of the socio-economic challenges faced by districts. It also assisted government to direct spending to the areas of greatest need in a more informed and integrated way. Transparency and accountability at a local government level is a much anticipated outcome.
The pilot of the DDM at the three sites assisted to uncover potential sectors for growth which can be tapped into to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable. When the DDM is fully operational it will ensure greater inclusivity through gender budgeting.
The PCC has thoroughgoing discussions on the implementation of economic reforms to drive inclusive growth and job creation, infrastructure investment and development, efforts being made to bolster youth employment through the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention and as a progress report on the provision of water services and human settlements.
The President called the PCC an historical meeting of leaders from all spheres of government to support a “joined up approach” that when it comes to development no district gets left behind in development.
The President called on all social partners take the lessons learnt into account and use further impetus to the DDM vision. This vision of capable unitary developmental state with a strong neutral bureaucracy and solid societal relations.
Reading the Auditor General’s report 2018-19 is not the way to finish off a week. It is a dismal tale of woe which adds another distressing layer to the state capture saga. What is truly distressing is that this information is in plain sight and very little is done from one year to the next. The Citizens version candidly spells it out: “overall audit outcomes take a turn for the worse over five years.” For me, it is much clearer that the boffins’ version of the report which sugar coats the message as “audit outcomes regressed since 2014/15.”
Provincial departments of health are in a bad state and need urgent intervention to prevent collapse. An exception is the Western Cape.
Serious weaknesses in the financial management of national & provincial government unaddressed in the last five years. (Section 4)
The quality of the performance reports slightly regressed since 2014/15 from 66% to 62% (auditees publishing credible reports).
Little improvement on key government programmes according to the National Development Plan Section 6 district health services (HIV/AIDS, TB &maternal & child health) box below water infrastructure development, housing development finance, school infrastructure delivery expanded public works programme.
72% of the auditees materially did not comply with legislation similar to the previous year & slightly higher than the 70% in 2014/15.
What does this mean for National Health Insurance Bill and sweeping changes needed for the financing of health care? The National Department of Health is not among those that received a clean (unqualified) audit.
Reading the Auditor General’s report 2018-19 is not the way to finish off a week. It is a dismal tale of woe which adds another distressing layer to the state capture saga. What is truly distressing is that this information is in plain sight and very little is done from one year to the next. The Citizens version candidly spells it out: “overall audit outcomes take a turn for the worse over five years.” For me, it is much clearer that the boffins’ version of the report which sugar coats the message as “audit outcomes regressed since 2014/15.”
Provincial departments of health are in a bad state and need urgent intervention to prevent collapse. An exception is the Western Cape.
Serious weaknesses in the financial management of national & provincial government unaddressed in the last five years. (Section 4)
The quality of the performance reports slightly regressed since 2014/15 from 66% to 62% (auditees publishing credible reports).
Little improvement on key government programmes according to the National Development Plan Section 6 district health services (HIV/AIDS, TB &maternal & child health) box below water infrastructure development, housing development finance, school infrastructure delivery expanded public works programme.
72% of the auditees materially did not comply with legislation similar to the previous year & slightly higher than the 70% in 2014/15.
What does this mean for National Health Insurance Bill and sweeping changes needed for the financing of health care? The National Department of Health is not among those that received a clean (unqualified) audit.
Until a woman from the poorest family in the most crowded slum can be sure that her local clinic will have the medicine and staffing her government has promised, global health will remain uncertain
This is what the SA NCD Alliance supports. Do you?
Step 2 Work Together: Support collaboration among accountability actors, and aggregate citizen-generated information about the quality of service delivery at the subnational level
