The Parliament’s oversight committee has expressed concerns at what they say is “paralysis” at the Mpumalanga health department.
The chairwoman of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration/Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Makhosi Khoza, said they received reports that the health department in the province was not complying with the majority of indicators in the Management Performance Assessment Tool.
The committee is on a two-day visit in the province and will do its last day checking clinics and hospitals.

It said this non-compliance undermines government’s commitment to deliver an efficient, effective and “development-oriented public service” as set out in the Constitution.
Khoza said: “It is disturbing that the department of health received 0% compliance in relation to the Financial Disclosures Framework (FDF) Act”.
SEE ALSO: DA slams Mabuza for not firing health MEC
“This is disturbing considering the fact that all other provincial departments posted over 81% in FDF compliance,” she said.
She said this undermined section 195 of the South African Constitution which promises transparency and accountability “and creates a breeding ground for
corruption”.
When 013NEWS contacted Health MEC Gillion Mashego for reaction, he said he been he has been engaged in a visit with his national portfolio committee whose chairperson is the honourable Dunjwa and had no knowledge of the other oversight visit said to be taking place over his department in the province.
“I don’t think its correct that the parliamentary committee can conduct oversight and then report to the media. They have not told me anything about their findings.
“I would expect that if they made findings concerning the work of the department they would have called me and discussed it with me first instead of reporting to the media”. Mashego said over the phone on Tuesday night.
The committee also said they found contractors who did job with the department were not paid within the 30 days, causing a backlog of 12 581 unpaid invoices to the value of R1.4 billion.
Of their targets in spending on resources, only 55% were achieved by health department, despite the fact that they spent the entire allocated budget.
There were also no evaluation of the performance of heads of department within the entire provincial administration for the 2015/2016 financial year, the committee found.
“The department of health was the only department not to have a signed performance agreement with its HoD as per performance management and
development system policy.
“This must be urgently rectified,” Khoza said.
(edited by MLM)
Send tips to editor@013.co.za