The North West Department of Health hereby wishes to set the record straight by refuting assertions made by the Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) in a Press Statement dated 28 February 2024, in which the organisation said the department had underspent its 2022/2023 allocated budget by R200.6 million.

These claims by HAITU stem from an article published by the Independent Online (IOL) which contained an inaccurate figure cited to have been underspent by the department.

The North West Department of Health disputes this amount. On the contrary, the department can report only a R4,7 million underspending which was on Conditional Grant. A rollover request for this amount was granted by Treasury.

The Department wishes to refer everyone including HAITU to the 2022/2023 Departmental Annual Report in which the R4,7 million underspending is reported. Please find NW Health annual report here http://health.nwpg.gov.za/Annual-Reports

In the light of the facts above, the Department views the call for MEC Sambatha to be fired as baseless.

In his written response to Parliament, Health Minister Joe Phaahla mentioned that unspent budgets by provincial department of health had been rolled over to the 2023/2024 financial year.

Enquiries:

Tebogo Lekgethwane Departmental Spokesperson 0674227763 tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za

Or

Khuthala Tshangela MLO MEC Support 0664586915

-ENDS

ISSUED BY THE NORTH WEST DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH