Public Protector ‘shocked’ after visit to Limpopo schools, hospital

Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has heard how two schools and a hospital in Limpopo were overwhelmed with Covid-19 related challenges.

She was told that pupils and workers have had to wear sub-standard personal protective equipment (PPE) supplied by the government, while there was non-existent physical distancing in classrooms because of overcrowding.

Mkhwebane was on a whirlwind visit of provinces to assess how public facilities, such as schools and hospitals, were coping with a demand for services and whether safety measures were being implemented in the midst of the pandemic.

On her visit to Kabela High School in Moletjie, Limpopo, on Tuesday, Mkhwebane was told by management that the quality of face masks and other essentials were of poor quality, especially given that a case of Covid-19 was recently detected at the institution.

The challenges at the school were compounded by the fact that it was forced to accommodate pupils from three nearby schools, which had low enrolment.

It put pressure on the capacity of the school, with pupils forced to attend classes on a rotational basis all year round because of a shortage of space.

Serious challenges at Agishang Primary School were also detected.

The school had only two teachers and the principal was always absent because of a chronic illness.

Mkhwebane described the situation at the two schools as “shocking”.

“The quality of education is deeply compromised. I know the MEC [of education] will be assisting to address the issues,” she said.

After touring and meeting with management and trade unions at WF Knobel Hospital, Mkhwebane described the situation at the health facility as “very horrible” and “shocking”.

She decried the poor quality of PPE, dilapidated buildings, shortage of staff due to suspensions, management inefficiency and failures in the procurement process.

“What I have seen is very horrible. You can’t have workers in these buildings,” she said.

She said a probe will be launched into which companies supplied PPEs and other essentials to the hospital.

She said a letter of intervention will be issued within the next three weeks.

She added that the Public Protector’s provincial representative will meet with the health department’s head and the MEC.