Our story and photograph on page 3 today sum up so much that’s wrong with South Africa.
Sick people, including the elderly and mothers with infants, queue for hours under a torn canvas partially covering a steel frame that provides little protection from the elements.
And 10 years and R20 million later, they still don’t have a proper clinic.
In another, wealthy, part of the province, Lamborghinis are being seized from the luxury home of an ANC-connected businessman who allegedly siphoned hundreds of millions of rands from the very health budgets meant to help people like this… those struggling on society’s bottom rung.
Gauteng’s health infrastructure is collapsing – and it’s due to the host of parasites eating our taxpayer money and giving very little in return.
ALSO READ: Health care’s silver bullet is here
Those parasites include consultants and construction companies, who carry out incompetent design work, or fail to complete their contracts.
In one case alone, the department of health has lost R200 million to engineering consultants who caused major delays to the R700-million Johannesburg Forensic Laboratory.
At least, according to the department, they’re trying to claw back that money.
However, it is clear there is something very wrong in the procurement processes in Gauteng.
How can incompetent consultants or construction companies be appointed in the first place?
ALSO READ: Medical scheme members spent R43bn in upfront payments in 2024
Is no due diligence done, other than to confirm links to the politically connected?
And why is there no attempt to monitor the progress of the projects, ensuring that incompetent contractors are not only removed from site, but placed on a government blacklist so they cannot loot in future?
It is not stretching a point to call this sort of behaviour economic treason, for it damages the state severely and results in the deaths of many innocent people, whose only hope was to, one day, have the better life that the politicians promised them.
About the Author
