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The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the removal of Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s reshuffle last week, but his appointment of Faith Mazibuko to this portfolio shows he is not serious about fixing our public health system.

It is disgraceful that Lesufi took so long to remove Nkomo-Ralehoko, who failed dismally amid gross mismanagement and corruption scandals. She should have been fired after the High Court ruling on 27 March 2025 against her department for its failure to treat cancer patients, despite a R250 million budget for radiation treatment going unspent. According to the DA’s Cancer Scandal Tracker, she remained Health MEC for 371 days after this debacle.

But it is unlikely the department will improve under MEC Faith Mazibuko, who has been unimpressive in her many previous portfolios, including Infrastructure Development, Community Safety, Agriculture, Sports, and Social Development.

She has a history of embarrassing outbursts, including when she told a mother of triplets in 2014 to keep her legs crossed and have no more children. This incident cost taxpayers R350 000 in a legal settlement.

In leaked audio in 2019, she berated officials for not building combi courts before the election and later had to apologise to the Human Rights Commission for disparaging remarks about white and coloured officials.

This department does not need another ANC hack in charge of the R70 billion health budget – it needs dynamic and honest leadership to fix crumbling hospitals and root out rampant corruption.

Lesufi has chosen cadre deployment over competence, showing a shocking disregard for the lives of patients who depend on a functioning public health system.

The real reason he sidelined Nkomo-Ralehoko is that she is challenging him as ANC provincial chairperson.

The DA will continue to scrutinise this department intensely and hold the MEC accountable for its many failures that hurt patients in hospitals and clinics.

Issued by Dr Jack Bloom MPL - DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health