City health boss suspended

eTHEKWINI has finally taken action against controversial head of the city’s health unit, Dr Nomakhosi Gxagxisa, and announced this week that she has been suspended from her position.

In a media statement on Tuesday afternoon, city spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said Dr Gxagxisa would be suspended with full pay for a period not exceeding three months pending an internal investigation. The suspension came into effect on Tuesday, 18 September. Conditions of service require that she be paid in full while the investigation is underway.

He said the investigation would establish reasons as to why the issue of her registration with the Health Professions Council was not resolved by December 2011 as had been expected; and the conditions of the settlement agreement that she reached with an aggrieved candidate for one of the senior management posts in the Unit, allegedly without following proper procedures.

He said senior managers within the unit would act in her position on a rotational basis until the matter is resolved.

“The Municipality is confident that the suspension will not in anyway affect the operations of the unit and has faith in those appointed to act in the position,” he said..

Last month the DA’s caucus leader Zwakele Mncwango called on Musa Gumede, the deputy city manager for health and social services to city to suspend Gxagxisa after city manager, Sbu Sithole had failed to do so when the DA approached him about the matter in March this year.