Hospitals in Gauteng awarded substantial contracts to two firms associated with the sons of Deputy President Paul Mashatile to manage fire safety measures. For the installation and maintenance of fire alarms and sprinkler systems, over R47 million was paid to the firms Modipadi Nokaneng and Ngwato and Manzi Group. According to reports, they have additional money to claim, which could bring the total to more than R49 million.
Still, not a single public hospital in the province has fire safety measures in place, even after receiving these funds. This is concerning because fires have already threatened patients and staff at hospitals such as Tembisa. Those in the know find this concerning as despite the expenditure of public funds, the safety situation has not improved.
Not all employees who were laid off by one of the companies have gotten their full compensation, either. The opposition parties have now demanded enquiries into the contracts’ awarding process and the continued hazardous conditions in hospitals, despite the large sums of money spent. More and more people are demanding that government officials answer for the misuse of public funds and the potential risk to hospitalised patients as a result of this issue.
Hospitals in Gauteng continue to fail safety tests as Mashatile’s sons are named in contracts worth millions of rands Hospitals in Gauteng have received millions of rands from two companies associated with the sons of Deputy President Paul Mashatile in an effort to make them safer from fires. Installing and maintaining fire detection and suppression systems was given contracts worth roughly R47 million to the firms Modipadi Nokaneng and Ngwato and Manzi Group. More claims could be made, bringing the total to over R49 million, according to reports.
Not a single public hospital in Gauteng has achieved complete compliance with fire safety standards, despite all this spending. Concerns over the safety of patients and personnel have been raised due to the fact that hospitals like Tembisa have previously experienced multiple fires. Some workers who were laid off by one of the companies are still waiting to get their money, and critics say the money hasn’t produced the promised improvements.
The awarding of these contracts and the subsequent lack of results have been the subject of calls for enquiries from opposition parties. There is now growing pressure on the government as a result of this situation, with more and more people calling for responsibility and stating that political connections should not be a priority over hospital safety.