Gauteng Health is haemorrhaging skilled senior staff, with the resignation of the head of the department, Nomonde Nolutshungu, along with five other employees, being the latest in the mass exodus.
Nolutshungu’s departure is also expected to have a bearing on the disciplinary hearing against suspended CFO Lerato Madyo and the CEO of Tembisa Hospital Dr Ashley Mthunzi, with sources saying she was meant to be a key witness in the case.
The disciplinary case against the two, linked to allegations of tender irregularities worth more than R850m, has been postponed several times due to the unavailability of Nolutshungu, who is apparently leaving for “health reasons”, reports News24.
Insiders say Nolutshungu initiated the case against Madyo and Mthunzi but Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba denied she was to be a key witness against them.
The allegations involving the two officials is thought to have led to the death of Babita Deokaran, former chief director of financial accounting at the Health Department, who blew the whistle on graft and was murdered on 23 August 2021.
Since then, several other senior officials have resigned from the department, including CEO of Steve Biko Academic Hospital Mathabo Mathebula, who left at the end of February after 21 years within the public health system. She is now chief operating officer in the Office of Health Standard Compliance.
Nkele Lesia, the CEO of Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, retires at the end of July after 16 years in the Gauteng public health system as a CEO at various hospitals.
Lucas Ndhlovu, the CEO of Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, leaves on 31 March to head up the Mpumalanga department of health.
The Gauteng department is also losing Carel van Heerden, a director in the legal service unit, who will join the national Department of Mineral Resources & Energy this month as a senior legal administration officer.
Health economist Esethu Worku, also from month-end, will join the World Bank Group as a senior health economist focusing on east African countries.
The department – with the country’s highest provincial budget, with more than R59.6bn allocated in the current financial year – has lost five heads of department over the past five years.
News24 article – Gauteng health's ‘mass exodus’ (Restricted access)
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