Press Statement For Immediate Release
UPM media
We demand the immediate dismissal of Sindiswa Griselda Gomba Health MEC for Eastern Cape
The COVD-19 disaster in the Eastern Cape demands action. The provincial government is not equal to the crisis that ravages families. More than 850 nurses have tested positive. The state does not even keep proper records for the unnumbered dead.
Behind the virus, we suffer from the social ills of a wretched state and economy that is geared towards the wealth and power of a small ruling class and thieving political elite
As COVID-19 hit, what did we see? An inability of the provincial government to even ensure supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies. We can only imagine how much worse it would be if charities and civil society had not helped fill the gap – and this without the hundreds of billions the state controls.
The provincial Department of Health is technically bankrupt, and cannot hire more health workers. But it has now bought 100 motorbikes at the cost of R10 million. Villagers do not even have regular water supplies to allow people to wash their hands, but allocated money is returned unspent.
State hospitals are places of death, of horror and trauma to many patients and families affected and infected by COVID 19. People reliant on these hospitals, most especially the black working and poor, face the grim effects of corruption, mismanagement and underfunding.
Who is running this terrible circus of horror? Ms Sindiswa Griselda Gomba, Health MEC for the Eastern Cape. Her provincial Department of Health has no clear plans to save lives. In a recent virtual meeting with health experts, she grumbled that she was “sick and tired” of being questioned.
It is easy to promise low-cost government hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure to the working class and poor, and decent living conditions in the townships and villages. That gets you votes. It is another to actually keep promises. Elections have come and gone, but the state and the politicians have failed. Failed the public hospitals, failed to maintain basic sanitation, and failed to step up in the COVID-19 crisis.
On top of the legacy of apartheid, we have had 25 years of post-apartheid cadre deployment and looting. There has been chronic government underfunding, lack of oversight and transparency for the ordinary people. There has been endemic corruption by a political elite working with crooked private businesses. There has been almost complete impunity for these mafias.
Political loyalty has been prized above basic competence, enrichment for an elite few has been prized above the lives and dignity of the mass of the people. Hospitals, infrastructure and townships have been sacrificed on the altar of money and power. Enough is enough.
We call for the dismissal of Sindiswa Griselda Gomba with immediate effect and permanent contracts for casual health care workers. Saving lives is more important than cadre deployment and party loyalty. We urge the Premier Honourable Oscar Mabuyane, and Minister of Helath Dr Zweli Mkhize to act immediately.
Failure to heed our call will leave us with no choice but to institute a legal action against the Premier. This deepens the distance between the provincial government and crisis legitimacy. Our Province is a joke, it is referred to as a crime scene because of blatant corruption. We need a government that care for the people. Saving lives is more important than party loyalty and cadre deployment.
Issued by UPM
Sinesipho Soxujwa – 0784094260
Siphosetu Manyati - 0620064530