DA shocked over R4.7m paid to advocate for staying at home

Gauteng DA Shadow MEC of Health Jack Bloom has decried the R4.7 million paid to suspended Gauteng Department of Health head of legal services, advocate Mpelegeng Lebeloane.

Bloom said the staggering amount paid by the department was revealed to him by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi, who was responding to him in a written reply in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.

Bloom said according to the MEC, advocate Mpelegeng Lebeloane, who is the Chief Director: Legal Services, was told to stay at home following a Public Service Commission (PSC) report on her appointment that found irregularities in her transfer from the Department of Water and Sanitation.

Bloom said the PSC recommended that the department applies to the Labour Court “without delay” to set aside her transfer to the Department. The department subsequently made the application to the Labour Court on 18 November 2020. However, advocate Lebeloane opposed it, which resulted in a stalemate that has seen her being compensated while at home.

“Mokgethi said that the Court Registrar has indicated that a date for this matter will only be set in 2023, and The Department wants to see the matter concluded as speedily as possible. However, the matter remains constrained by the Court’s processes which are outside the Department’s control,” the MEC said to Bloom.

Bloom said as if that was not enough, he has learnt that there is an acting person in her job who has been paid R4 681 700 for the period 1 July 2019 to 30 September 2022.

“This is an enormous sum of money to pay for a botched appointment. It could have paid for 10 senior nurses for a year at our understaffed hospitals,” Bloom said in a statement.

Bloom added that advocate Lebeloane has a chequered history with the Department after she was former Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa’s personal assistant, who was fired in January 2006 for misusing state property but was later absolved on appeal.

“When Ramokgopa returned as Health MEC in February 2017, she recruited Lebeloane to get her buddy back into the department. The PSC investigated Lebeloane after complaints about her high-handed management style,” Bloom said.

Bloom said he is appalled by this revelation which underscores the level of financial mismanagement in the department.

“I am appalled that the department’s mismanagement has wasted so much money that should be used to provide better care for hospital patients. I will continue to expose the appointments of buddies in this department and the protection of cadres like the suspended Tembisa Hospital CEO, Ashley Mthunzi. The DA’s policy of a merit-based public service is needed to fix this ailing department,” Bloom said.