R40 million a year spent on security for Charlotte Maxeke hospital didn’t prevent theft after fire

15 August 2021

A whopping amount of R40.1 million is spent annually on security at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) but was unable to prevent the theft of copper pipes worth R30 million and other items worth about R200 000 after the fire on 16 April this year.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, the guards cost R2.9 million a month, and electronic camera surveillance costs R450 000 every month.

But since the fire in April, 10 desktop computers, a fridge, 6 plasma TVs and 3 laptops were stolen in addition to the copper pipes.

Mokgethi says that the burglar bars at the back of the wards had to be unlocked due to the fire assessment, and the security of assets was compromised due to about 150 fire doors that had to stay open for inspection purposes.

The burglar bars now have to be removed because they contravene the fire regulations, and security is patrolling the fire escape routes to monitor unwelcome people.

I am deeply suspicious about all the security contracts at Gauteng public hospitals as they were irregularly awarded in October 2014 for a two-period and then irregularly extended month by month at a total cost of more than R3 billion to date.

The Gauteng Health Department has a poor record with corrupt and grossly over-charged security contracts.

R40 million is enough for a small army and is clearly excessive to ensure security for CMJH. Thefts continue to occur and the security was unable to stop the trashing of the hospital by disgruntled workers in April 2018.

The CMJH security contract is poor value for money and should be reviewed urgently. I am sure that millions of rand could be saved with a better contract, and this money is needed to provide better health care for patients.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 15 August 2021