Opposition parties have launched a scathing attack on Northern Cape premier, Dr Zamani Saul, accusing him of “lies and not having achieved much” in his first term to improve the Northern Cape Department of Health’s functioning and patient care. They express serious doubts about his ability to deliver his promised improvements in his second term.
The criticism follows Health Ombudsman Prof Taole Mokoena’s damning report about mismanagement at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital and Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) in Kimberley. The investigation, conducted with the Human Rights Commission, revealed that patients at the mental health hospital “literally froze to death” last year due to systemic failures and infrastructure breakdown.
When Saul first became premier in 2019, he promised during a visit to RMSH to establish better service delivery and digitise patient files. He called the mental health hospital “a monument of corruption,” referring to construction costs that spiralled from R250 million to almost R2 billion over 15 years.
‘Promise now lies shattered’
Pakes Dikgetsi, Cope’s acting chairperson, accused Saul of broken promises. “He told lies. His promise was not just political theatre. It was a commitment to lead from the front. That promise now lies shattered amidst the broken systems and lives lost under his administration,” Dikgetsi declared.
On Friday, 1 August, Dikgetsi and executive committee member Jomo Itumuleng laid criminal charges for murder and attempted murder against the departments’ top officials at the Kimberley police station.
“I still see patients in RMSH queuing for hours to get their files. Nothing has come of Saul’s promise. He just appoints acting heads of departments, who get nothing done,” said Dikgetsi, criticising the premier’s initial five-day silence following the report’s release.
“Where is his conscience? Not a word of remorse. Not a visit to the grieving families. No plan of action. His silence is not neutral. It is complicit.”
Credit: Charne Kemp
Dikgetsi accused Saul of prioritising political campaigns over patient care, noting his active involvement in recent by-elections in Kimberley while remaining absent when families needed leadership.
“Saul mobilised all state resources to advantage his corrupt party. When grieving families and the community need his moral leadership, he is AWOL. He prioritises power and self-interest over the needs of the suffering people.”
The crisis represents “a collapse of governance,” according to Dikgetsi. “How can the head of department allow a year-long power outage at the mental health hospital to continue and expose patients to hardship? The adjacent private hospital solved the same problem in a day.”
He noted that urgency only emerged when tenders were distributed, allowing “comrades and family and friends” to profit while bypassing procurement procedures.
‘Provincial management should be held accountable’
DA leader Isak Fritz demanded accountability from department management, describing the mental health hospital as “a feeding trough for corruption even before its first brick was laid.” After more than 20 years and R2.1 billion, it remains “an uninhabitable monument to corruption.”
Fritz emphasised that patients “froze to death” during a 12-month period without power and heat following cable theft.
“The DA had warned about corruption and mismanagement for 15 years, specifically flagging the mental health hospital risks before the deaths occurred.”
Fritz defended healthcare professionals, arguing provincial management should be held accountable instead. “They still deny the collapse of provincial healthcare and allow gross human rights violations against mental health care patients to continue.” He criticised the department’s leadership structure, led by acting officials including “a head of department who has already been convicted of financial misconduct.”
Premier responds
After days of silence, Saul responded through spokesperson Naledi Gaosekwe, acknowledging the report’s findings.
“All these discrepancies have cost families their loved ones. The premier sends his most heartfelt condolences to the families mentioned in the report, and will visit them soon. The premier also unequivocally apologises to the many patients who have experienced substandard health services at both institutions.”
Director General Justice Bekebeke has been appointed chairman of a task team to implement the Health Ombudsman’s recommendations. Saul instructed Health MEC Maruping Lekwene to provide an update within seven days on immediate actions taken.
The premier’s office emphasised his 2019 prioritisation of public health and education, stating the government’s “commitment to transparency and clean governance and reforms in the public health system, as more than 80% of people in the province cannot afford private healthcare and are solely dependent on government facilities.”
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