Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Monday described as "deplorable" South Africa's inability to deal with infant and maternal mortalities, the SABC reported.

This came as the country was dealing with a series of infant deaths in various health facilities.

Motsoaledi was speaking from the African Union (AU) Summit in Uganda where he accompanied President Jacob Zuma.

He acknowledged that South Africa was lagging far behind other African countries in curbing infant and maternal mortalities.

About two months ago six premature babies died of gastro at Johannesburg's Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital.

Although Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu washed her hands of the deaths last Wednesday, saying that an investigation found there had been "no specific acts of negligence", Premier Nomvula Mokonyane reopened the probe two days later.

Mokonyane said that the babies' parents had given authorities "their own version..."

They told her they would arrive at the hospital ward and find their babies had not even been cleaned up after vomiting, had been left to lie in wet and soiled incubators and that the same syringes were used more than once on different babies.

Two weeks ago the Public Service Commission released a final report arising out of the furore over baby deaths at East London's Frere Hospital.

South Africans were shocked by a Daily Dispatch expose on the appalling situation at East London's Frere Hospital, where it was uncovered about three years ago that hundreds of newborn babies were dying every year.

The expose led to the dismissal of then deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, who declared the situation at Frere a national emergency, and medical superintendent, Nokuzola Ntshona, who had blown the whistle on the affair.