DA accuses ANC of blocking its Covid-19 oversight visits to KZN hospitals
The MEC for health in KwaZulu-Natal has come under heavy criticism for allegedly blocking a scheduled oversight visit to Stanger Hospital by DA shadow minister of health Siviwe Gwarube.
The DA said it will now lay criminal charges against the MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, for “blocking” MPs from conducting oversight inspections in the province's health facilities.
“Upon arrival at Stanger Hospital, my colleague, who serves in the health portfolio committee in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, and I were blocked by security and later the police were called to attempt to forcibly remove us from outside the premises where we had waited patiently for the hospital management.
“Despite numerous calls to the MEC and HOD explaining the provisions of the constitution, the rules of parliament and the importance of oversight work, this was met with antagonism and misplaced arrogance which is underscored by a misunderstanding of the law,” Gwarube said in a statement.
However Simelane-Zulu dismissed the DA’s claim as “misguided and embarrassing attempts by the DA to smuggle themselves into the Covid–19 national conversation through the concoction of dubious theories and misinformation”.
She said requesting a hospital visit was not tantamount to approval and added that [restrictions] were imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections, which may be acquired within a hospital setting or imported by visitors.
“At a time when the country is afflicted by a deadly pandemic such as Covid -19, the department has a responsibility to safeguard staff, patients and visitors, and therefore has the prerogative to grant or deny such requests.
“Had the DA broken from their sad and unfortunate tradition of seeking publicity at the expense of human suffering and done their homework, they might have even realised that, currently, no visitors are allowed in hospitals,” Simelane-Zulu said.
But Gwarube maintained that MPs were empowered to conduct unannounced oversight inspections at any public institution because of the pressure placed on the system by the pandemic. She said the DA wrote to Simelane-Zulu and the HOD for health last week alerting them to the inspection “as a matter of courtesy”.
“The hospital management was honest in stating that they were instructed to refuse us entry into the facility, this despite MEC Simelane-Zulu’s assertion that they were not aware of the oversight visit,” said Gwarube.
She added that the matter would be reported to health minister Zweli Mkhize and called on Deputy President David Mabuza as the leader of government business to sanction Simelane-Zulu.
“The MEC is not above the constitution. The DA will conduct these oversight inspections in many of the hotspot areas. It is our constitutional obligation to ensure that South Africans are being given an adequate health service.”
In what has escalated to a war of words between the shadow minister and the MEC, Simelane-Zulu accused the DA of using the pandemic as a political football.
“When the DA-led Western Cape was the epicentre of Covid-19, reporting exponentially high infection and death rates daily, we did not seek to use that as an opportunity to immaturely grandstand or cast aspersions on their leadership.
“These attempted intrusions and reckless utterances by the DA are nothing but an attempt to undermine a lot of good work by the government, including scores of people who are genuinely determined to save lives during this deadly epidemic,” she added.
Simelane-Zulu maintained that the provincial government’s outbreak response plan was functional.