‘Cheap politicking’, says health department to ‘lying’ DA MP’s tweet
Gwarube is desperately searching for publicity to remain relevant, says the health department.
DA MP and the party’s health spokesperson, Siviwe Gwarube | Image: Twitter
The Health Ministry has denounced a tweet posted by the DA’s Siviwe Gwarube, in which she accused Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize of lying about the status of the Maseve Field Hospital in the North West, alleging that it was an empty field.
The department says, Gwarube, despite being corrected on the same platform by an official from the health department in the North West, persisted with her allegations, deliberately changing her story to suit her false narrative and “cheap political agenda.”
“As courtesy and acknowledging that she is a fellow MP, the Minister [Mkhize] called Gwarube to ask her why she would lie when the parliamentary reply clearly refers to Maseve Hospital when she was on a completely different site.
“She apologised and admitted she had made a mistake. She acknowledged that the minister had never said anything about the site she visited and that she could have heard it from a third party.
“The Minister graciously accepted her apology, in an effort to engage in a civil and honourable manner with a fellow parliamentary member.”
The ministry, in a statement, said it was clear and disappointing that she ran to social media and conveniently referred to the call with Mkhize as an attempt by him to explain himself to her.
“It is regrettable that she has decided to continue with her petty politicking, which can only be attributed to immaturity. Gwarube is now challenged to publicly produce the parliamentary reply where reference is made to the field she decided to visit.”
The health department accused Gwarube of desperately searching for publicity to remain relevant, and called on her to retract her statement and apologise to the minister and the public.
In June Minister of Health, @DrZweliMkhize told me the NW Maseve Field Hospital is 90% complete incl the 200 beds in Rustenburg. This morning I visited the provincial hospital and the field hospital and it remains an empty field and no construction is happening. What’s going on? pic.twitter.com/XJUUBBvG3O
— Siviwe Gwarube (@Siviwe_G) August 6, 2020
Gwarube on Friday said she would continue to embark on various oversight visits across the country.
“I have covered Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Gauteng and North West. Next on the list is the Free Stat, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Western Cape,” she wrote on a tweet.
“It is our constitutional responsibility to ensure that citizens are getting what’s due to them. Holding government to account is part of the gig.”
She said Mkhize’s response to her referred to the donated Maseve Hospital as being complete.
“This is not where I went to go to check progress. I checked progress of the earmarked hospital site that has been in that state since May despite us nearing the peak in infections.”
The question, @NorthWestDOH:
When is this facility which is now an empty field going to be built? Commitment was made in the reply I got in June. Today it stands as a derelict piece of land. Use the opportunity to commit to the people of the NW solid timelines for this facility https://t.co/fqybdvHgHz
— Siviwe Gwarube (@Siviwe_G) August 7, 2020
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