The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has formally appealed the Gauteng Department of Health’s decision to withhold key documents related to the Gauteng Funeral Undertakers Bill, along with the associated expenses incurred during the bill’s development in the 2012/2013 financial year. The secrecy surrounding this bill does little to serve Gauteng residents, who continue to suffer unimaginable harm at the hands of unscrupulous operators in this billion-rand industry.
The appeal follows the DA’s 1st April 2025 Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application prompted by the Gauteng Department of Health’s refusal to grant access to the draft bill, accompanying regulations and financial records.
R3 million was paid to Hamba Nathi Training and Development, the service provider, for work related to this legislation. Since public funds were used, the decision to deny the DA Gauteng access to this information is an obstruction of the public’s right to know how their money is being spent. Meanwhile, the Gauteng Health Department states that the documents are part of an ongoing policy formulation process while the bill has been gathering dust for over ten years.
The Gauteng Department of Health also references Section 46(1)(b) of PAIA which relates to the public interest. Exposing corruption and wasteful or fruitless expenditure, as this situation illustrates, is in the public interest, making their explanation invalid. Moreover, the role of a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) is to hold the executive accountable and inform stakeholders about the negative impact of irregular expenditure on service delivery. This function outweighs any speculative harm that releasing this information might have.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government will ensure accountability by providing documents for public scrutiny rather than hiding behind the PAIA.
The DA Gauteng remains committed to seeking truth and accountability. We have formally requested access to all documents, including financial records. Should this request be denied, DA Gauteng will take legal action against the Gauteng Department of Health for breaching good governance practices.