Cape Town – South Africa’s Limpopo health MEC, Phophi Ramathuba has reportedly asked her department’s risk and security management team to investigate claims that security personnel at Rethabile Clinic were selling state issued face masks to patients.
Ramathuba reportedly paid the Polokwane clinic a surprise visit where she also confronted security personnel about the allegations, reports said.
The MEC told the security personnel they would be arrested if they were found guilty of selling the face masks, reported The Citizen.
The report said she arrived at the clinic on Monday to inquire about complaints she said she received regarding the sale of masks to the public.
Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba went to Rethabile Clinic in Polokwane after receiving reports that guards sold face masks meant for patients. She told me yesterday that management were no longer allowed to send masks to the guards “because we don’t know where they go” pic.twitter.com/ZIhYttJ4nf
— Getrude Makhafola (@GetrudeM) January 18, 2023
“Allegations are that you are selling face masks to patients for R8 each. Patients who use clinics are poor and do not have money to buy masks.
“Let’s not abuse our powers please,” the report quoted the MEC as saying.
However the security personnel denied the allegations, the report said.
Speaking during an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Ramathuba said investigations were already under way.
“I’ve referred the matter to our risk and security management so that thorough investigations on these allegations can be cleared.
“I was shown the ladies who sell the masks, to say, they are not necessary securities there. They are vendors but still we can not conclude that the masks that are being sold out there, especially at the expected price between R5 and R8.
“We are talking about patients who come to clinics because they don’t have funds to go to hospitals or private facilities. PEC services are suppose to free so we can’t start selling masks to people we’ve already declare they can’t afford and can not pay,” said Ramathuba.
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Compiled by Olwethu Mpeshe
