Premier Panyaza Lesufi must not renege on his promise last week to remove the Head of the Gauteng Health Department, Mr Lesiba Malotana.
He has announced new heads for five departments but said the health position was being finalised.
There appears to be pushback against Malotana being replaced, despite the department’s poor performance, including underspending of R725 million in the last financial year.
Furthermore, a court judgement found the department’s failure to treat cancer patients was unlawful and unconstitutional.
Lesufi has cited underperformance and adverse lifestyle audits for the removal of heads of departments, as well as moving identified high-risk individuals to other positions.
Malotana surely falls in the high-risk category, as there is a SIU investigation concerning two contracts in which he allegedly shared more than R10 million in bribes with two other officials.
The DA calls on Lesufi to appoint a top-notch official who can root out corruption and fix our hospitals and clinics to provide quality healthcare.