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After DA’s efforts, Nokuthula LSEN School finally open

by Khume Ramulifho MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) repeated pressure on Gauteng Education MEC, Panyaza Lesufi has yielded positive results as learners were moved into the new Nokuthula LSEN School on Monday last week from their old school in Marlboro which was situated in an unsafe warehouse.

The MEC has confirmed to the portfolio committee on Friday that learners have started relocating. This R300 million school which is situated in Lyndhurst, Johannesburg was officially “opened”‘ in October last year.

This state of the art school, designed for learners with special needs had been abandoned and left to gather dust for almost eleven months.

The DA has visited the school twice following its official opening.

We placed enormous pressure on the MEC in the Gauteng Legislature through the tabling of questions and member statements to speed up the process of moving learners to the new school.

This school is well equipped with all the necessary sporting codes, dormitories, classrooms and sick bays.

The DA will continue to put pressure on the Gauteng Department of Education to ensure that no school stands empty while learners remain in environments that are not conducive for teaching and learning.

Every learner deserves a safe schooling environment.

The DA has urged the MEC to forge strong relationship with municipalities to ensure that zoning, rezoning and plans approval process are properly done. This will speed up school infrastructure projects development.

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No firm date for new CEO at Bara Hospital

by Jack Bloom MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC

The Gauteng Health Department is “quite advanced” in the process of filling the CEO vacancy at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH).

Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa said this today in an oral reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature, but did not give a firm date for the appointment of a new CEO.

I am disappointed that there has been such a long delay in appointing a capable person to run this hospital which desperately needs strong leadership to provide a quality health service.

There is no good reason why the hospital has been without a permanent CEO since January 2016 when former Health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, removed former CEO Sandile Mfenyane without explanation.

Yesterday, the unions organized a protest march against Acting CEO Dr Sifiso Maseko, who they blame for alleged corruption and irregular appointments.

Ramokgopa has said previously that the CEO position was advertised with a closing date of 15 December 2016 and four applications were received, so why has it still not been filled?

Poor management is partly to blame for the high number of Serious Adverse Events (SAEs) that have harmed patients at this hospital – 1249 SAEs in 2016 and 2085 SAEs in 2017.

I hope that an honest and effective CEO is appointed as soon as possible as our largest hospital has been rudderless for far too long.

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Thelle Mogoerane baby deaths: Hospital CEO was warned about infection risk

by Jack Bloom MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC

Thelle Mogoerane Hospital CEO Nomonde Mqhayi-Mbambo was warned about deadly infection risks in the neonatal ward, but failed to take action that could have averted the deaths of two babies from Klebsiella infection.

I have seen a memorandum dated 18 May this year that was sent by the staff at the neonatal ward where seven babies became infected with Klebsiella in July and August, of whom two have died.

The memorandum details a gross shortage of nurses, severe overcrowding, lack of equipment and poor working conditions.

Instead of 22 nurses per shift, there were only 12 nurses per shift.

The staff warned that “our premature babies are at risk of nosocomial infection due to overcrowding, shortage of staff, inconvenient location of wash basin, poor hand hygiene secondary to unavailability of stock.”

A nosocomial infection is one that is acquired in a hospital setting, which is what happened with the antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella infection that claimed the lives of the two babies.

According to staff, there were more deaths in babies in ward 2 this weekend, but it is unclear whether this was due to Klebsiella.

They are also concerned that the hospital is mixing new-borns with three to nine month old babies, which increases the risk of cross-infection.

My assessment is that Hospital CEO Nomonde Mqhayi-Mbambo has failed to run this hospital effectively and has ignored the warnings of workers about infection risks.

There needs to be a thorough investigation of the baby deaths and accountability from those who were responsible.

Other problems at this hospital should also be fixed to ensure quality care for all patients.

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DA commends City of Joburg for speedy restoration of electricity, water services

by Dr Heinrich Volmink MPL – DA Regional Chairperson of Johannesburg

The DA in Johannesburg would like to commend the City of Joburg for its speedy response in fixing the Rand Water Eikenhof pump station this week.

On Monday a substation located next to the Rand Water Board caught fire, which resulted in power outages and the disruption of water supply to parts of Joburg.

City Power and its contractors worked around the clock to install and test a new transformer in just 30 hours. Normally this would take up to 72 hours.

Dedicated City Power officials went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that residents were not severely inconvenienced by the outages.

This indicates that the DA-led administration puts the residents of Johannesburg first and is committed to delivering quality services at all times where we govern.

However, there are allegations that the fire at the substation was an act of sabotage, and we welcome the investigation launched by Mayor Herman Mashaba.

We strongly condemn this action as it impacts negatively on service delivery.

The DA is committed to the delivery of services to the people and we will not be derailed by anarchists and criminals.

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DA supports union demands to fix Bara hospital

by Jack Bloom MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC

The Democratic Alliance supports the demands of trade unions who are marching today to draw attention to corruption and short staffing at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.

Their demands include the release of an investigation report into corruption and irregular appointments, the removal of the Acting CEO Dr Sifiso Maseko and corrupt officials, and the filling of vacant posts.

It is inexcusable that this hospital has not had a permanent CEO for more than two and a half years since former Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu removed the former CEO in January 2016 without explanation.

I suspect that former CEO Sandile Mfenyane was removed because he blocked corrupt contracts.

Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa has said that the CEO position was advertised with a closing date of 15 December 2016 and four applications were received, so why has it still not been filled?

This hospital desperately needs a competent and honest CEO to effectively manage its R3.5 billion budget and 6 000 employees.

Changes are needed to improve care as 4320 Serious Adverse Events that harmed patients were recorded from January 2016 to June this year.

I hope that the Department responds constructively to today’s march which needs to be peaceful and not disruptive to patients.

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ANC distorting the truth regarding VBS investments

by Ina Cilliers MPL and Adriana Randall MPL – DA Constituency Head: Merafong & DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Finance

The ANC-run West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) is trying to cover its tracks and absolve itself from any wrong-doing with regards to the investments it made with the now defunct VBS Bank.

The municipality, as well as the Merafong Local Municipality, invested millions of rands of public money with the bank which has become synonymous with grand scale looting.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) earlier this year placed the bank under curatorship as it was effectively bankrupt.

The WRDM has now tabled an item in council to assess a legal opinion regarding the money it invested.

This has gone against a Treasury recommendation which indicates that it would be investigating the matter and will conclude if invested money can be recouped.

The municipality has attempted to down-play wrongdoing as it has claimed that the investment was brought before Gauteng MEC for Finance, Barbara Creecy.

This is not the case.

The DA approached the MEC to investigate the matter when it was revealed that the bank had been placed under curatorship. The MEC dismissed the concerns of the DA by stating she did not need to scrutinize every investment made by municipalities in the province.

It was only after National Treasury indicated that it would be investigating the matter that MEC Creecy took action.

These municipalities have had to present unfunded budgets for the 2018/19 financial year due to financial mismanagement. Residents will now endure untold hardships as a result of ANC incompetence.

The DA will continue to pressurize the MEC to ensure that those who made these investments are brought to book and that the money invested will be recovered.

A DA provincial government would ensure that residents of local municipalities across Gauteng are serviced with the same level of professionalism as in the municipalities where we govern.

The ANC has failed the people of Gauteng and should not be given another chance.

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Two babies died of Klebsiella at Thelle Mogoerane Hospital

by Jack Bloom MPL – DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC

Seven babies have been infected with antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella, and two of them have died, at the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus.

This information was given to me and DA MPL Neil Campbell on our oversight inspection today to the hospital to investigate reports of the baby deaths.

Hospital CEO Nomonde Mqhayi-Mbambo told us that the first case was identified on 9th July and one of the babies died in that month, and another this month.

The remaining five babies have been isolated and are being treated.

The neonatal ward has been scrubbed down and stringent infection control measures are enforced to prevent further infections.

They have unfortunately not yet identified the source of the infection.

I am concerned that severe overcrowding and staff shortages have contributed to the deaths of the babies.

There is much unhappiness amongst the staff at this hospital who have presented a memorandum of grievances to hospital management.

The Gauteng Heath Department needs to thoroughly investigate the Klebsiella infection and fix the underlying problems at this troubled hospital.

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Failed ANC has forgotten the people of Sharpeville

by Kingsol Chabalala MPL – DA Gauteng Constituency Head: Emfuleni North

Please find attached pictures of litter and illegal dumping in Sharpeville here and here. Find soundbites attached in English and Sesotho.

The failed ANC government in Gauteng has forgotten the people Sharpeville. Fifty years since the brutal Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960, life continues to deteriorate for the residents of this neglected community. We call on the municipality to go out and clean Sharpeville.

Currently, service delivery is so bad that residents have forgotten when last the ANC-led Emfuleni Municipality picked up their rubbish.

Taking a drive through the streets of this historic township, at any time of the day and night with litter strewn all over the streets, leaves a feeling of despair.

Illegal dumping is only a part of the problem. Another is the bad smell of sewage that hangs in the air.

Many Sharpeville residents are unemployed and cannot afford to move away. They say they feel cut off from the rest of Gauteng, this is truly a forgotten community. The failed ANC government has no plan to build communities which give our people dignity.

Speaking during Human Rights Day celebrations in March this year, Deputy President David Mabuza made promises to residents to clean up the streets and improve service delivery. It remains just that, a broken promise.

The DA is the only party that can bring about change that builds one South Africa for all.

The power to bring change to Sharpeville and Gauteng is in the hands of residents.

 

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ANC Emfuleni wastes over R59 million infrastructure budget

by Kingsol Chabalala MPL – DA Gauteng Constituency Head-Emfuleni North

In response to questions asked by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, it has come to light that the ANC-led Emfuleni administration has paid over R59 million to eight service providers that have abandoned municipal infrastructure projects and have been fired for poor workmanship.

According to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Uhuru Moila, the following service providers failed to complete municipal infrastructure projects; JM Mcwango Trading, Gauflora, Gorogang Plant Hire and Majantsipe Projects Managers cc.

The following service providers were fired due to poor workmanship; Phumi Trading, Matlapa Suppliers Contractors Enterprise Cc, Engcor Consulting Engineers and Tarman.

These service providers were contracted for upgrading of the roads and storm water drains, as well as the construction of social development facilities.

The roads are terrible, untarred with potholes and many are still gravel roads.

There are no storm water drains yet a budget was allocated for these, and money was paid to contractors who failed to do the work properly.

This indicates a lack of project management and monitoring.

The ANC administration has done nothing to ensure that these contractors pay back taxpayers’ money.

None of these contractors were blacklisted.

All these projects were intended to uplift and improve the lives of Emfuleni residents by creating employment and an environment conducive for the local economy to grow.

Emfuleni residents deserve better. They deserve a government that is accountable to its people and prioritizes service delivery.

The DA is the only party that can bring Change. Where we govern in Tshwane, Joburg and Midvaal we monitor all our infrastructure projects to ensure that services are delivered to our people.

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ANC Emfuleni wastes over R59 million infrastructure budget

by Kingsol Chabalala MPL – DA Gauteng Constituency Head-Emfuleni North

In response to questions asked by the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng, it has come to light that the ANC-led Emfuleni administration has paid over R59 million to eight service providers that have abandoned municipal infrastructure projects and have been fired for poor workmanship.

According to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Uhuru Moila, the following service providers failed to complete municipal infrastructure projects; JM Mcwango Trading, Gauflora, Gorogang Plant Hire and Majantsipe Projects Managers cc.

The following service providers were fired due to poor workmanship; Phumi Trading, Matlapa Suppliers Contractors Enterprise Cc, Engcor Consulting Engineers and Tarman.

These service providers were contracted for upgrading of the roads and storm water drains, as well as the construction of social development facilities.

The roads are terrible, untarred with potholes and many are still gravel roads.

There are no storm water drains yet a budget was allocated for these, and money was paid to contractors who failed to do the work properly.

This indicates a lack of project management and monitoring.

The ANC administration has done nothing to ensure that these contractors pay back taxpayers’ money.

None of these contractors were blacklisted.

All these projects were intended to uplift and improve the lives of Emfuleni residents by creating employment and an environment conducive for the local economy to grow.

Emfuleni residents deserve better. They deserve a government that is accountable to its people and prioritizes service delivery.

The DA is the only party that can bring Change. Where we govern in Tshwane, Joburg and Midvaal we monitor all our infrastructure projects to ensure that services are delivered to our people.