Pretoria: Minister Motsoaledi has on Friday, 08 August visited the Northern Cape province following the release of the report by the Health Ombud on his investigation of treatment, complications and deaths of psychiatric patients at Northern Cape Mental Hospital and Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital.
On the 30 July 2025, the Health Ombud called a press conference to release a report about his findings on the investigations done at the Northern Cape Mental Hospital and Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, also in the Northern Cape.
The investigation was prompted by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, requesting the Health Ombud to do an investigation after the deaths of two mental health users at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital.
On the day that the report was released, the Minister promised that he would personally go to the Northern Cape to meet the management of the province, including the Premier Dr Zamani Saul, Health MEC Maruping Lekwene, Finance MEC Venus Blennies-Magage, management of the Department of Health to discuss some of these findings.
By and large, the findings have to do with issues of human resources (HR) issues, procurement, clinical protocols and practices, inside the hospitals themselves.
In the report, some health workers including doctors and nurses, were fingered for not having performed certain professional clinical functions with diligence.
After the initial meeting, where the Minister met the Premier, the MECs for Health and Finance, the Director-General of the province, with their officials, it was then agreed that all the labour unions had to be met.
The Minister therefore met five (5) labour unions including DENOSA, HORSPERSA, NEHAWU, PSA and NUPSAW, and reported to them the purpose of the trip and the findings of the Health Ombud, and what is going to happen going forward.
The labour unions pointed out that they are unhappy about the manner with which the Health Ombud has fingered some of their members, and they wanted the Minister to look into that. The Minister then informed them about the correct procedures in terms of the Health Ombud report, that the Minister is not an appeals authority of the Health Ombud and therefore he cannot review his reports.
The Minister further indicated that the law prescribes that once a person lodges an appeal, he (Minister) must set up a three-member tribunal to be chaired by a retired judge or a retired magistrate. The other two members may either be health professionals or legal professionals. The Minister has therefore advised labour unions that anyone who is not happy, this standard procedure must be followed.
Minister Motsoaledi also briefed the labour unions about what the health sector is going to do to improve issues of staffing, procurement of beds and linen, the hiring of health workers, etc.
The visit ended with a site visit to the hospitals for the delegations to see for themselves some of the findings of the Health Ombud, and to acclimatise themselves in the shortest way possible, to try and implement the recommendations of the Health Ombud report.
Enquiries:
Mr Foster Mohale
Health Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 072 432 3792
E-mail: Foster.mohale@health.gov.za
Mr Sello Lediga
Health Ministry Spokesperson
Cell: 082 353 9859
E-mail: Sello.Lediga@health.gov.za
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