The Eastern Cape Health Department incurred R34.3m in legal costs during the 2013-2014 financial year to fight a number of lawsuits, notes a report in The Herald. The figures were published in a report on litigation with adverse outcomes against the provincial government.
"This is a mind-blowing sum," said the shadow MEC for Health, Celeste Barker of the DA. "How on earth did the administration of the Department of Health allow this to happen? Who in the department is responsible for authorising legal action and incurring costs on the basis of unreliable, incomplete or inadequate evidence? When will those responsible be held to account?"
The report adds last year alone, the department faced legal claims totalling a staggering R876m.
[link url="https://secure.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/accountingloginse2.aspx?returnurl=%2fepaper%2fpageview.aspx%3fcid%3d8147%26issue%3d81472015020600000000001001%26page%3d3%26articleid%3d348285d4-20ce-41f5-be65-48e2a1ce4b54%26articlekey%3dF1X4SOL8UJCubWPSZhGzlg%253d%253d%26previewmode%3d2&__utma=71627914.217794136.1421135153.1421135153.1423211346.2&__utmb=71627914.0.10.1423211346&__utmc=71627914&__utmx=-&__utmz=71627914.1421135153.1.1.utmcsr%3d(direct)%7cutmccn%3d(direct)%7cutmcmd%3d(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=110691907"]Full report in The Herald (subscription needed)[/link]