With only five months to the crucial upcoming 2026 local government elections, a fierce war of words has erupted between the EFF and the Limpopo MEC for the Department of Health, Dieketseng Mashego, over the use of clinics and hospitals by political parties to campaign for elections.
The fight comes after the second-biggest political party in the Limpopo Legislature, the EFF, conducted an oversight visit to the Mankweng Hospital in Turfloop last Friday.
During the visit, led by party provincial chairperson Makgabo Lawrence Mapoulo and spokesperson Jacob Lebogo, the EFF allegedly unearthed a ‘heap of rot’ at the hospital and infrastructure decay that had remained unchecked for years.
Many in the province construed the oversight as the first strike by the Red Berets to launch their election campaign by exposing alleged government rot ahead of the upcoming 4 November polls.
MEC slams EFF
Allegedly, in fear of being reprimanded by her boss, Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Constance Ramathaba, Mashego instructed her communications unit to release a media statement rebuking the EFF’s visit to the hospital and labelling it an election gimmick.
Mashego said her warning follows disturbing scenes witnessed at the hospital where healthcare workers were subjected to conduct that went beyond legitimate oversight and accountability mechanisms.
Mashego said healthcare workers dedicate their lives to serving communities under often difficult circumstances.
“They deserve respect, support and protection while performing their duties. Any form of intimidation, harassment or disruption of healthcare services under the guise of oversight is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The MEC emphasised that the Department of Health fully recognises and supports the constitutional principles of transparency, accountability, and public participation. However, she said these principles must be exercised responsibly and within the confines of the law.
“Accountability cannot come at the expense of patient care. There is a clear distinction between constructive oversight and conduct that undermines the ability of healthcare workers to provide services to the public.
“When healthcare professionals are harassed while attending to patients, it is ultimately communities that suffer the consequences.”
The MEC warned that patients should never be subjected to political activities while seeking medical attention, nor should healthcare workers be forced to operate in environments characterised by political grandstanding and confrontation.
“Complaints, concerns and dissatisfaction regarding healthcare services must never be politicised. There are established channels through which concerns can be raised, investigated and addressed.
“Exploiting challenges within the health system for political mileage does not solve problems. Instead, it risks eroding public confidence and destabilising healthcare institutions.”
Mashego called upon all political parties, public representatives and community structures to engage with the department constructively and responsibly, with the primary objective of improving healthcare services for the people of Limpopo.
EFF ‘disgusted’
Mapoulo said the EFF was disgusted and disappointed by Mashego’s comments. He further labelled it a desperate and dishonest attempt to divert public attention from the alleged catastrophic collapse of healthcare services in the province and to shield a failing ANC administration from accountability.
“The visit to Mankweng hospital was in line with the fulfilment of the EFF’s constitutional obligation to hold the executive accountable and ensure that public institutions serve the people with dignity and
efficiency.
“What we found at the hospital confirms what communities across Limpopo have been saying for years: public healthcare in the province is in a state of crisis. Thousands of residents are subjected daily to conditions that undermine their constitutional right to quality healthcare.
“Instead of addressing these realities, the MEC chose to issue a misleading statement accusing the EFF of intimidating healthcare workers and using healthcare facilities for political campaigning. These allegations are false, reckless, and intended to silence legitimate criticism of a department that has failed the people of Limpopo.
“If there is anyone responsible for creating a hostile environment within healthcare facilities, it is the ANC government itself.”
Through its secretary-general, Seun Mogotji, the Bolsheviks Party of South Africa also entered the fray.
“The MEC’s suggestion that hospital visits by political parties or community structures amount to ‘political campaigning’ is misleading and dismissive of genuine community concerns.
“Communities are not visiting hospitals to score political points. They are visiting because they live with the consequences of what is happening inside those facilities every day.
“For years, consistent complaints have been raised across Limpopo’s healthcare system, including patients being turned away due to lack of medication shortages of essential drugs and medical supplies, long waiting times that put lives at risk, broken or outdated medical equipment, severe staff shortages and exhausted healthcare workers, poor sanitation and deteriorating hospital conditions, delays in maintenance and repair of infrastructure, and weak management response to repeated crises,’ he said.
Mogotji said these are not campaign talking points, but lived realities of the ordinary people of Limpopo.
“To reduce this to ‘political interference’ is to ignore the suffering that is deep-rooted in the Limpopo health system.”
