ON YOUR BICYCLE
Health MEC Gomba refuses to quit, so she gets the boot Premier Oscar Mabuyane drops the axe after MEC tries to dig in her heels
Sindiswa Gomba fought tooth and nail, but the scandaldogged health MEC was sacked on Thursday.
Her boss, Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane, suspended former health HOD Dr Thobile Mbengashe, now his special adviser, at the same time. Mbengashe is to go before a disciplinary hearing.
“I have taken a decision to relieve Ms Sindiswa Gomba of her duties as the member of the executive council for the department of health,” he told a special briefing in the offices of the Bhisho Massacre Memorial on Thursday.
These words brought to a climax a dramatic last-gasp bid by a defiant Gomba to lawyer up, said insiders. On Wednesday the two powerhouses, the premier and his MEC, went at it into the night with argument about how Gomba would go, but Gomba apparently dug in her heels and stayed defiant until the blade fell, insiders said.
Gomba’s time at the helm of the health department has been controversial and she came in for criticism from health minister Zweli Mkhize over her department’s poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to calls by the ANCYL and unions for her to step down. Later, in a public Zoom meeting with Mkhize she infamously uttered the word “Andidikwe” (I am fed up with this).
Mabuyane said Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha would take over as acting health MEC. Gomba would stay on as an MPL.
Her dismissal came after her name appeared in a Special Investigating Unit presentation in early February, following its probe into a controversial R10m procurement of 200cc eranger ambulance motorcycles from King William’s Townbased service provider Fabkomp.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago welcomed Mabuyane’s announcement. Though in his press briefing Mabuyane stressed no money had been paid to the motorcycle contractor, the SIU said this was because they had interdicted the department to stop payment by approaching the special tribunal.
Kganyago said civil proceedings to review and cancel the contract were under way in the special tribunal. The matter is set down for April 22.
The SIU last week made damning findings against several provincial entities, as well as referring Gomba and Mbengashe to Mabuyane for action.
A day after the SIU’S report was made public, Gomba appeared in court over her role in the alleged looting of R10m of Nelson Mandela’s funeral fund when she was a BCM councillor.
The Dispatch has reliably learnt that Mabuyane had wanted an easier way out and asked Gomba to resign of her own accord. She refused and so he fired her, insiders said.
Gomba had apparently told Mabuyane she would speak to her lawyers and come back to him that night with her response.
But by Thursday morning her silence was deafening and Mabuyane sent her a text message, asking if she had met with her legal team and what her decision was.
Insiders claim she told him she would not be walking voluntarily.
They said the premiers ’ response was that she would have to be fired to protect the integrity of the ANC and the provincial government.
The Dispatch phoned, emailed and sent Whatsapp texts to Gomba, which she appears to have read, but she did not respond. Her spokesperson Judy Ngoloyi also did not respond.
Addressing journalists on Thursday Mabuyane said: “The SIU submitted that there was serious misconduct against both MEC Gomba and former HOD Dr Thobile Mbengashe. As part of their process, the SIU referred the letters concerning their findings to me for me to take action on the findings.”
He said he asked the pair to submit representations on why he should not take action against them.
In a conciliatory statement, Mabuyane said Gomba did her “level best” in a troubled department. “She was coming alright because she was dealing with core fundamental issues. It was unfortunate something of this nature happened.”
Asked by journalists why he appointed her when there was “a cloud over her ”— a reference to her BCM court case — Mabuyane said: “There was not a dark cloud, there was a silver lining when we appointed her. She went through a process [in] the integrity commission which did not find much.”
Mabuyane said a number of reports and investigations were ongoing in the health department. “We are not going to leave any stone unturned”.
Political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga said Mabuyane had shown he had “no confidence” in Gomba. “As an MPL she was not hired by Mabuyane in a way that you would have brought her to provincial cabinet.”