
Unemployed health inspectors frustrated
JOHANNESBURG - Many health inspectors are jobless while South Africa grapples with foodborne illnesses such as listeriosis, cholera and poisoning.
WATCH | Discussion | Plan of action to manage foodborne illnesses
Recently, a number of qualified inspectors marched to the departments of Health and Cogta, saying government inaction was endangering lives.
Government allegedly failed to keep its promise after announcing last year that it had set aside R205-million rand to employ over 500 health inspectors after foodborne illnesses killed 22 children.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria hospitals prioritised for winter infrastructural upgrades
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has prioritised upgrading winter-related equipment throughout its facilities to accommodate heavy usage at this time. Steve Biko Academic, Pretoria West, and Kalafong Provincial Tertiary hospitals were among the local facilities which received these upgrades. The department said it has prioritised infrastructure such as boilers, chillers, heat pumps and air conditioners, all of which age and come under pressure during winter. Last month, several facilities reported breakdowns in their boiler systems, resulting in an inconsistent supply of hot water. The department has since said its contractors are on standby to respond to emergencies and were able to restore the systems of all affected facilities. 'The reality we are facing is that critical equipment such as boilers, chillers, heat pumps, and air conditioners is old and has not been serviced appropriately for a long time. This is one of the reasons we have now capacitated the departmental infrastructure unit so that it can implement the maintenance programme in-house,' said Health and Wellness MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. Nkomo-Ralehoko added that the department has set aside R100-million in the current financial year to recapitalise critical equipment across facilities. Pretoria West Hospital experienced leaking pipes, while Kalafong and Steve Biko hospitals were among the facilities reporting issues with their calorifiers (water tankers that heat and store water for later use), which have since been resolved. The department assured residents that its recapitalisation programme is currently underway and is instrumental in reducing further breakdowns, and thanked them for their patience. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here


eNCA
3 days ago
- eNCA
Unemployed health inspectors frustrated
JOHANNESBURG - Many health inspectors are jobless while South Africa grapples with foodborne illnesses such as listeriosis, cholera and poisoning. WATCH | Discussion | Plan of action to manage foodborne illnesses Recently, a number of qualified inspectors marched to the departments of Health and Cogta, saying government inaction was endangering lives. Government allegedly failed to keep its promise after announcing last year that it had set aside R205-million rand to employ over 500 health inspectors after foodborne illnesses killed 22 children.


Eyewitness News
4 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Clinic renovation stalled because health department hasn't paid contractor
The renovation of the Evah Mota Clinic in Tsheseng village in Qwaqwa, Free State, is stalled because the provincial Department of Health owes the contractor millions of rands. The clinic has been closed since 2022 for major renovations. In the meantime, clinic staff are using old church buildings to treat patients, store medication and keep confidential patient files. The contractor, Phunya Consulting, abandoned the clinic site in November after waiting for payment. The department has only paid R7-million of the R10-million renovation cost. GroundUp visited the site last week and found it closed, with security guards stationed outside. At the church building being used temporarily as the clinic, patients were queuing outside to see the doctor, some sitting on the ground. One of the patients, Seipati Makume, said the church building is too small so patients have to wait outside, regardless of the weather. 'There are no chairs. You will stay at the clinic the whole day because the service is very slow. Imagine staying outside while it is raining,' she said. Sipho Mgudlwa, an executive at Phunya Consulting, confirmed that the contractor had left the site in November after the department failed to pay the outstanding balance for work done. 'We invoiced them last year but we did not get the money. We kept on working with our own money until our coffers dried up and we had to stop. 'We wrote letters to the department but we were told that they don't have the budget to pay us. Our last communication was in March,' he said. Mgudlwa said this was not the first time the project had been delayed by a failure to pay. Department spokesperson Mondli Mvambi confirmed that the department had only paid R7-million of the R10-million to the contractor. 'The Evah Mota Clinic is 95% complete with outstanding work on waste management and the water tank.' 'There was a delay in the payment processes to the main contractor which resulted in the contractor going off site.' He said the delay was due to 'cash flow challenges' in the department. 'We are working on mechanisms to get the outstanding work done,' Mvambi said. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.