Gauteng ANC deputy provincial chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, said that while the provincial executive could not tell Premier David Makhura who to pick, it could urge him to do so quickly.
FILE: Gauteng Premier David Makhura. Picture: @GautengProvince/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG – The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng said that it expected an update regarding the appointment of a new Health MEC from Premier David Makhura next week.
Its deputy provincial chairperson, Panyaza Lesufi, said that while the provincial executive could not tell Makhura who to pick, it could urge him to do so quickly.
Three of the ANC’s top officials in the province told journalists at a media briefing on Thursday that stability was needed at the provincial Health Department.
Last week, the premier sacked Bandile Masuku as MEC following preliminary findings from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report which is looking into allegations of tender fraud related to the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Masuku, his wife Loyiso and presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko have faced scrutiny from both the public and the party following news that the former MEC’s department awarded Diko’s husband a multi-million rand tender.
The couples are friends.
Makhura had initially refused to replace Masuku, saying that he was willing to hire him back if he was cleared by the SIU’s final report.
Lesufi explains why the province cannot wait.
“There’s serious instability in that department. To speak now, we’ve an acting MEC, an acting HOD, the department does not have a CFO, it doesn’t have a DDG responsible for corporate services – that’s a huge institution – we also don’t have a chief director responsible for procurement matters, so if you take those things into consideration, it’s quite clear that we need to intervene and intervene as quickly as possible.”