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Daily Maverick
01-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Questions over tripling of Gauteng Health's security budget
In just two years, the Gauteng health department's spending on security has more than tripled. Spotlight tries to get to the bottom of the ballooning bills and what it means for governance in the department. The Gauteng Department of Health's projected R2.54-billion spend on security contracts for 2025/2026 has received the thumbs up, fuelling suspicion in various quarters. It comes as the department claims to lack the funds to fill vacancies, pay all suppliers on time or continue fulfilling doctors' overtime contracts. The R2.54-billion is more than three times the R838-million the department spent two years earlier in 2023/2024. This was revealed at the end of May in response to questions raised in the Gauteng Legislature by the Democratic Alliance (DA), the official opposition in the province. In 2024/2025, the department's security spending was just above R1.76-billion. Jack Bloom, DA shadow MEC for health in Gauteng, calls the proposed expenditure 'unjustified', given that the department is failing to meet its health service delivery targets. According to him, security companies charge R77-million per year for guarding services at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and more than R72-million annually at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. At Tara Hospital, the new security contract costs R14-million a year – a sharp increase from the previous year's R4.2-million contract, which had provided 21 guards for the facility. Bloom says that, according to the department's own assessment, only five additional guards were needed at Tara Hospital, increasing the total to 26. However, the current contract pays for 46 guards. 'This means they are paying about R5-million a year for 20 guards they do not need,' Bloom says. 'They could better use this money to fill the vacancies for 13 professional nurses, as Tara Hospital cannot use 50 of its 137 beds because of staff shortages. It is a clear example of excessive security costs squeezing out service delivery,' he says. 'The numbers simply don't add up,' Bloom says. He points out that the written responses provided in the Gauteng Legislature – signed off by MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko – cite an internal security assessment and compliance with Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) salary increases for guards as reasons for the higher costs. However, the internal assessment has not been shared with either Bloom or Spotlight, despite requests from both. The PSIRA-approved annual increase is 7.38%. In contrast, the department's security spending rose by more than 100% from 2023/2024 to 2024/2025, and is projected to increase by another 40% from 2024/2025 to 2025/2026. According to a statement released by the Gauteng health department in April 2024, it had 113 security companies under contract at the time, providing a total of 6,000 guards across 37 hospitals and 370 clinics and institutions in the province. 'Very fishy' Bloom says security guarding contracts have been 'very fishy for at least the past 10 years'. He claims: 'There are certain security companies that keep popping up. These companies will get two-year contracts, then have their contracts extended for something like 10 years. Then we have these new contracts, which have soared in costs. The auditor general has said that there is irregular expenditure. Security contracts have always been suspect and have always been corruption territory.' In March this year, the DA lodged a complaint with the Public Protector over a R49-million guarding contract for five clinics in Tshwane and the MEC's offices. The contract was awarded to a company called Triotic Protection Services. The DA alleges that the company was founded by City of Tshwane's deputy executive mayor, Eugene Modise, who also previously served as its director. When the company was awarded the contract, it was allegedly in the crosshairs of the South African Revenue Service because it owed R59-million in tax over five years. This has raised concerns about the company's tax compliance status and its eligibility to tender for the contract. Spotlight approached Modise for comment through Samkelo Mgobozi, spokesperson for the office of the executive mayor, but had not received a response by the time of publication. Other security companies that have contracts with the department have also made headlines for allegedly flouting labour laws. These include not paying guards for months and withholding employees' pension and provident fund contributions. It leaves questions about due diligence and the proper vetting of companies. A review under way? In the weeks since Bloom's questions were answered in the legislature, he says Nkomo-Ralehoko conceded to a review of the security spend at the province's hospitals. However, the Gauteng health department has not announced anything formally and no further details have been provided. The department has also neither responded to Spotlight's questions nor provided supporting documentation of its assessment criteria for the security contracts, the tender requirements, tender processes and how it measures value for money and the impact of increased guarding in improving safety and security for patients, staff and visitors to its hospitals. It has also not made available a list of the companies with successful contracts and what their services entail. As Spotlight previously reported in some depth (see here and here), there are serious security problems at many health facilities in Gauteng. It ranges from cable theft disrupting hospital operations to assaults on healthcare workers. The department has also been criticised from some quarters for its plans to train healthcare workers to better handle violent situations. That steps need to be taken to better secure the province's health facilities is not controversial. But previous reporting has also shown a pattern of questionable contract management, with, for example, contracts being extended on a month-to-month basis for years after the original tenders had technically expired. It appears that the widespread use of these month-to-month security contracts came to an end when the department finally awarded a series of new security tenders in 2024, but it also seems likely that these new contracts are driving the department's ballooning security spending. 'Has to be justified' The department's massively increased security spend must be fully explained and is essential for transparency, several experts told Spotlight. 'This kind of escalation in cost has to be justified, especially when the department has no money,' says Professor Alex van den Heever, chair of social security systems administration and management studies at the University of Witwatersrand. He says the specifics of the tender process and the contracts awarded need to be publicly available to be openly scrutinised. The processes must meet Treasury's procurement guidelines and must follow the Public Finance Management Act, which regulates financial management within the national and provincial governments. Where there is wilful non-compliance, Van den Heever says criminal charges should be laid. 'This is a department that has routinely had around R3-billion a year in irregular expenditure. It means procurement procedures have been bypassed. This is not an isolated incident; it's systematic,' he adds. The latest Auditor-General report into the Gauteng health department was released in September last year for the 2023/24 financial year. It showed that of its R60-billion budget, the department underspent by R1.1-billion, including R590-million on the National Tertiary Service Grant that was meant to help fund specialist services. The report highlighted R2.7-billion in irregular expenditure, which is R400-million more than the previous year, and R17-million in fruitless and wasteful spending – an increase of R2-million from the year before. Equally damning, the report highlighted the lack of credible information provided. 'This is likely to result in substantial harm to the operations of the department as incorrect data is used for planning and budgeting and the effectiveness of oversight and monitoring are reduced as a result of unreliable reported performance information on the provision of primary healthcare services,' wrote the Auditor-General. Van den Heever says leadership and management within the health department need to be seriously questioned. Questions should be asked of why 'bad apples' are not being removed, why there are no consequences for conflicts of interests and collusions, and why webs of enablers within the department are not exposed for insulating wrongdoers, he says. Van den Heever says that over nine years of monitoring, the Gauteng Health Department's irregular and wasteful spending ranged between 3.6% and 6.6% of its total budget. In contrast, during the same period, the Western Cape's irregular spending ranged from 0% to just 0.1%. Lack of transparency The Gauteng health department's spike in security spending demands deeper investigation, says advocate Stephanie Fick. She is executive director for accountability and public governance at the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and serves on the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum. This forum was launched in 2019 as an initiative to combat corruption within the healthcare system. It falls under the Special Investigating Unit and brings together a range of stakeholders, including law enforcement agencies, government departments, regulators and the private sector. Fick says the health department's failure to provide easy access to information on tenders, contracts and contracted companies undermines transparency and accountability. She encourages more people to come forward with insider information. 'We want to see the details right down to line items and who signed off on things. We encourage people to use our protected whistle-blower platforms to share information,' Fick says. 'For civil society, there is a growing role to mount strategic challenges to things like this kind of excessive and irregular expenditure; to demand transparency and to expose people who are responsible. 'This must be done so ordinary people can better understand what's been happening with their tax money and so they choose more carefully when they go to the ballot box, starting with next year's municipal elections,' she says.
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
No hot water for patients in Pretoria hospitals amid icy winter conditions
No hot water for patients in Pretoria hospitals amid icy winter conditions Sick and vulnerable patients at three major Pretoria hospitals are being forced to endure freezing winter conditions without hot water as critical equipment failures and years of poor maintenance leave facilities struggling to meet basic care standards. According to the DA's Shadow Health MEC, Jack Bloom, this was confirmed by Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to his questions in the Gauteng Legislature. 'Reasons for a lack of hot water include leaking steam pipes and broken boilers, compressors, and heat tanks.' He said the department says: 'The critical equipment such as boilers, chillers, heat pump, air conditioners etc. are old and were not serviced appropriately for a long time. The impact is that due to their heavy usage in winter, the department experiences a lot of breakdowns.' 'Patients in nine Gauteng public hospitals have suffered without hot water as the winter cold has bitten since the start of May this year.' • Bertha Gxowa Hospital, • Cullinan Care and Rehab, • Sterkfontein Hospital, • Edenvale Hospital, • Lenasia Hospital, • Kalafong Hospital, • Weskoppies Hospital, • Jubilee Hospital, • Tshwane Rehabilitation Care Hospital. 'I suspect they are underplaying the hot water problem as I have received complaints from patients at several other hospitals. 'It is inexcusable that sick people have to wash in cold water in winter. The department says R100 million is set aside to recapitalise hospital equipment. This is a long overdue investment, but needs to be spent properly, unlike failed projects in the past,' Bloom said. The Gauteng Department of Health has yet to confirm or respond to media inquiries. Also read: Fake news alert: No blackout planned for Pretoria today Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Hospital security bill soars to R2.5bn amid patient care crisis
The DA noted that PSIRA's annual rate increase stands at only 7.38%, far below the near six-fold rise in overall security spending. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has voiced concern over soaring security costs at Gauteng public hospitals, which have skyrocketed from R655 million in 2022 to R2.54 billion in 2025 — nearly quadrupling in just three years. According to DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom, the rising security expenditure is diverting much-needed funds from critical healthcare services. 'This squeezes out money needed to improve patient care,' said Bloom in a statement on Monday. Multi-million rand contracts under scrutiny Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko revealed in a written reply to the provincial legislature that the increase is due to 'additional points of service provision' and higher rates regulated by the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA). However, Bloom questioned the justification, noting that PSIRA's annual rate increase stands at only 7.38%, far below the near six-fold rise in overall security spending. 'As a percentage of the total Gauteng health budget, security costs have gone up from 1.1% in 2022 to 3.8% of this year's allocation of R66 billion,' he pointed out. Security bills for major hospitals are among the highest. Chris Hani Baragwanath, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg, and Bertha Gxowa hospitals are paying R77 million, R72 million, and R26 million respectively to private security firms each year. In response to Bloom's inquiry, the department stated: 'The security assessment report conducted justifies the additional increase in the number of guards, and it is in line with the PSIRA rates.' ALSO READ: Mpumalanga primary school pupils treated for food poisoning after eating oranges Guards unpaid despite soaring costs Despite these massive outlays, some security workers are not being paid on time. At Tembisa Hospital, guards have gone on a go-slow, protesting after not being paid for three months. At George Mukhari Hospital, Mafoko Security Patrollers recently lost a court case over failing to pay provident fund contributions. Similar allegations have surfaced at Bertha Gxowa Hospital, where workers claim deductions are not reaching the required funds. Although the department insists it uses 'a monthly performance monitoring tool to ensure that security workers are paid on time and according to legislation,' Bloom said, 'this does not appear to be effective.' ALSO READ: Hospital horror: Cops in frantic search for two premature babies snatched from incubators Calls for accountability Bloom suspects widespread corruption. 'Many security companies seem to be grossly over-charging while underpaying their workers,' he said. The DA has vowed to continue pushing the provincial health department to review the escalating costs. 'Hospital patients suffer because of a lack of budget to fix staff shortages, long queues, and broken equipment,' Bloom warned. The Citizen has contacted the Gauteng Department of Health for further comment but had not received a response at the time of publication. NOW READ: Suspect allegedly confesses to Tembisa Hospital fire
TimesLIVE
22-05-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
Hospital laundry backlog: Interim and long-term fixes being implemented, department says
The Gauteng health department says it is assessing its laundry equipment, to determine which machines need to be replaced and repaired, to ensure the supply of clean linen at hospitals. This as it acknowledged a 'frequent breakdown of laundry machinery'. This week, patients were given plastic sheeting to lie on and have had to bring their own blankets to the Bheki Mlangeni Hospital in Soweto, according to provincial legislature member Jack Bloom. Six months ago, large piles of laundry were seen at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. On Wednesday, the department said there was 'a backlog due to machinery breakdown challenges' at the Bheki Mlangeni hospital, which relies on laundry services from Bara. The provincial Dunswart Laundries in Boksburg was roped in to deal with the backlog. 'Additionally, the hospital management is exploring options to temporarily outsource laundry services to further address this issue,' the department said. MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said the province has received R100m from the national department for the 2025/26 financial year to support its recapitalisation programme which aims to refurbish and replace outdated critical equipment and machinery in hospitals. 'Out of this amount, R50m is specifically set aside to address laundry machinery challenges across hospitals in the province. 'As part of this initiative, an assessment of the equipment and machinery has been conducted to determine which machines require refurbishing and which ones need to be replaced. This evaluation will ensure that we address the needs of facilities more effectively.'
The Citizen
24-04-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Suspicious fires rock Tembisa Hospital during SIU probe
Two fires hit Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital as investigators uncover R3 billion in graft. Amid a Special Investigating Unit's (SIU) probe into corruption at the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital, the DA has called for a swift investigation into the possibility of arson as two fires ravaged the health institution. In what DA Gauteng shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom has described as 'suspicious', the hospital has twice been hit by a fire – destroying the accident and emergency section over the Easter weekend and the adjacent outpatients' department yesterday. 'Are there tenderpreneurs [entrepreneurs profiting on government tenders] who want to get the contracts for rebuilding the burnt sections?,' asked Bloom. Arson 'This cannot be ruled out as we have criminal syndicates who sabotage the water supply so they can benefit by providing water tankers,' he claimed. He said arson was identified as the cause of the devastating fire at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital four years ago, 'but no one has been caught'. 'Any foul play at Tembisa Hospital needs to be speedily identified and the culprits apprehended before further fires occur.' Bloom, who has visited the hospital, accompanied by members of the Gauteng legislature health oversight committee, said he saw the extent of the damage. ALSO READ: Health department addresses Tshwane clinic 'medicine shortages' 'In the interim, the accident and emergency section patients will be treated in the old family medicine section. But this should be a temporary measure, as it worsens the hospital's already severe overcrowding,' he said. R3 billion in taxpayer losses Taxpayer losses to Tembisa Hospital corruption networks, have risen to R3 billion, according to the SIU. It was first identified by whistle-blower Babita Deokaran, who was assassinated in a hit-style killing outside her Johannesburg home in 2021. 'Under no circumstances should the dysfunctional Gauteng department of infrastructure development be involved in this project,' said Bloom. 'It is notorious for nonperforming contracts, such as at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, where fire repairs had to be taken over by the national health department and the Development Bank of South Africa. Compliance issues 'A competent project team should be appointed for Tembisa, working with the private sector to expedite the building work. 'Greater priority should be given to make all public hospitals comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act. 'None of the 37 hospitals have 100% compliance, with Tembisa only 79% compliant.' ALSO READ: Operations continue at Tembisa hospital after second fire in less than a week Gauteng department of health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said an investigation into the Tembisa Hospital fires was underway. 'Patients continue to receive care. We appeal to the public for patience, because we are not dealing with a normal situation. 'We also appeal to various organisations to allow space to health workers, to adapt to a new environment and give care to patients. We are willing to account and share information,' said Modiba. A litany of corruption incidents involving the provincial department of health: The Gauteng government spending almost R3 billion on Covid-related personal protective equipment (PPE); Prices inflated by up to 400%; The auditor-general finding 23 unlisted suppliers had delivered PPE to the Gauteng government worth R863 million; In 22 instances, PPE contracts worth R442 million were awarded to suppliers with no previous history of supplying PPE; and In six instances, overpricing led to a potential loss of R182 million. NOW READ: Patients evacuated as fire breaks out at Tembisa Hospital's emergency unit (VIDEO)
