Premier powerless to axe misfiring KZN MECs

DESPITE calls for Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli to sack the under performing MECs for Health and Education in KwaZulu-Natal, his hands were said to be tied as any cabinet reshuffle would likely collapse the provincial power pact of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).

At the centre of the storm were Sipho Hlomuka, the MEC for Education, and Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi, the MEC for Health, both senior ANC figures in KZN politics. Their departments account for the lion’s share of the provincial budget, yet both have been rocked by controversy and dysfunction claims.

Hlomuka has been under fire from teacher unions amid the crisis besetting his department, including the delayed payment of Grade R teachers and non-payment of service providers. This has sparked widespread condemnation of the Education MEC.

Simelane-Mngadi who is at the helm of the ailing health department, has also been on the receiving end of criticism from disgruntled service providers who were not paid. She revealed last week that her department owed them R1.7 billion. 

Hlomuka was the deputy provincial secretary while Simelane-Mngadi was deputy provincial chairperson for the ANC in KZN, before the provincial structure was reconfigured in February following poor showing during the last year's national elections.

Ntuli, in his capacity as premier, has the powers to appoint and remove members of the provincial executive council.

He is also the IFP provincial chairperson, and assembled his cabinet in June last year, following his election as premier of the province. 

Despite the pressure, insiders said Ntuli cannot act unilaterally. 

The GPU, an alliance between the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), and the National Freedom Party (NFP), was formed to govern the province after no party secured an outright majority in the last election. Any reshuffle would require consensus from all coalition partners.

This was part of the power-sharing deal agreed to by the said parties.

National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union's  (Nehawu) provincial secretary Ayanda Zulu said: "We are not happy with a lot of things that are happening in the department of health as Nehawu. We had a meeting with the MEC and raised the matters that concern us as the union."

Zulu said some of their concerns included the plight of workers amid the ongoing crisis in the department of health. 

"Our biggest concern is the workers and people of the province who continue to receive bad service from the department of health," said Zulu.

A source in the provincial government said Ntuli's hands were tied and argued that any reshuffle without the agreement with GPU partners would" backfire spectacularly". 

"The reality is that the premier is not happy with the performance of some of his MECs. But if he just replaced them. That would backfire spectacularly for him and this could even collapse the provincial government," said the source.

Nomarashiya Caluza, the provincial secretary for the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) said:" The problems in the education department in KZN are as a result of austerity measures (budget cuts ) and the cost cutting measures imposed by the Provincial Treasury and the Office of the Premier."

A Grade R teacher in KZN, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said:" The MEC is clearly failing. I think it's time the province gets a new MEC, maybe they will deliver. But again, the turnaround of the provincial department will not be an overnight thing because of the many crises the department is facing," said the teacher. 

Another teachers' union, the National Teachers Union (NATU) have also previously called for accountability, and demanded Premier Ntuli to wield the axe over Hlomuka.

Attempts by Daily News to obtain responses from the offices of Premier Ntuli, MEC Hlomuka, and MEC Simelane-Mngadi were unsuccessful, as their spokespersons failed to respond to inquiries.

DAILY NEWS