Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela on Monday fired her provincial ministers for health and economic affairs, Dr Bevan Goqwana and Andre de Wet, both of whom she has clashed with in recent weeks. She named Mbulelo Sogoni to take over from De Wet, while social development minister Thokozile Xasa will temporarily take on Goqwana’s portfolio.
”The assignment [of Xasa] is an interim measure that allows steps to be taken to effect the immediate stabilisation of the department of health,” Balindlela’s office said in a media statement.
Though neither of the former ministers could immediately be reached for comment, officials close to them confirmed they had been fired, rather than merely ”released from their responsibilities” as the premier’s statement said.
”[De Wet] didn’t ask to be released,” said his spokesperson Joe Jordan. ”All he said was, ‘I’ll respect the decision of the premier, I wish good luck to whoever she appoints to succeed me’.”
At the end of last month Balindlela stripped De Wet of authority over the troubled Eastern Cape Development Corporation, a move which left De Wet ”not just surprised, but also disappointed”.
He said then that if he was standing in the way of progress ”then I will have to consider other options”, adding that neither politics nor the African National Congress were about individuals and that everyone was replaceable.
Goqwana last week suspended his superintendent-general of health, Lawrence Boya, citing maladministration, weak financial management, ”haphazard” monitoring of finances and insubordination.
However Balindlela, who had not been told beforehand of the move, immediately reversed the suspension.
Dr Sinbongile Muthwa, director general in her office, was mandated to mediate between Goqwana and Boya.
According to Monday’s statement, Balindlela had seen and considered an interim report by Muthwa on the mediation ”and decided that the issues requiring resolution are relatively long-term and would not want service delivery to be further derailed”.
The Grahamstown-based Public Service Accountability Monitor said last week that Goqwana shared responsibility with Boya for the poor performance of the health department, and called on him to resign or for Balindlela to fire him.
The PSAM said that since Goqwana’s appointment in 1999, the department had received five audit disclaimers, meaning that between 2000 and 2005 the department failed to properly account for R18,1-billion out of a total budget allocation of R22,6-billion.
Goqwana’s reply was: ”I don’t think I will resign … I think I’m on the right track.” – Sapa