After a six-month wait for a payment of more than half a million rands, a fed-up sales consultant chained himself to a fence outside the Northern Cape Department of Health office in Kimberley, where officials finally committed to pay the outstanding amount.
The owner of Excell Catering Equipment, Sean Kriel, said he has waited six months for R617 000 owed for janitor trolleys delivered to the De Aar Hospital.
He told News 24 the department was “killing small businesses” by not paying them within 30 days.
The situation forced Kriel and his sales consultant, Ockie Fourie, to act last Wednesday, where Fourie hung a notice, “Gatvol of non-payment!”, around his neck and chained himself to metal fencing in front of the office of the chief financial officer (CFO) of the department.
This quickly attracted the attention of the security guards and officials, who then arranged a meeting during which the CFO promised the business would be paid by month’s end.
Kriel and Fourie said they had regularly contacted the officials involved to inquire about the payment, without success, and had even approached the provincial treasury.
“No one wanted to sign off the documents and approve the payment.”
Spokesperson Lebogang Majaha did not comment.
Last week MEC Maruping Lekwene said the department’s financial health was improving – the annual budget is R6bn – and that in the past two years, no unauthorised expenses had been incurred, which was “a positive sign for sustainable financial management”.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Phaahla explains late payments by Health Departments
Eastern Cape Health owes R3bn, causing unpaid contractors to halt services
Provincial health departments owe R9.5bn in unpaid invoices