Earlier this morning I went to the Gauteng Provincial Health Department to hand over a memorandum demanding that the department pays its bills on time. I was accompanied by Gauteng MPL Jack Bloom and a former small business owner, Mr Vorster Rasodi.

I was motivated to go to the department myself after I met with Mr Rasodi and heard his story. In short, the Gauteng Health Department killed Mr Rasodi’s business by not paying its bills.

Mr Rasodi has been struggling to receive payment from the Gauteng Health Department for 12 years now. Between 2000 and 2002, Mr Rasodi provided transportation services for the department. His business was registered under the name Dikolobedi Transport CC. He tendered successfully to become a service provider for the Department and operated with vendor code 110 000 9570.

Unfortunately, Dikolobedi Transport has had to close down since then, primarily because the Gauteng Health Department didn’t pay the money it owed Mr Rasodi.

We are demanding that the Department meet with Mr Rasodi within 10 days to resolve this matter once and for all.

For more information, Mr Rasodi can be contacted at 082 971 7404.

Mr Rasodi has attempted to use all avenues to resolve this matter. He has even phoned the presidential hotline in an attempt to have the problem resolved. The DA has also written to the Department to request that this matter receive urgent attention. Nothing has happened since.

We are also aware of a number of other service providers who are not paid in full and on time. If the trend persists, the Gauteng Health Department could kill more businesses. In the process people will lose jobs.

Government should be doing everything in its power to grow the economy and make it easier for small businesses to succeed. Unfortunately the Gauteng Health Department is doing the exact opposite by not paying their bills.