By Montsho Matlala
Glen Cowie, Sekhukhune District – Confusion and shock continue to grip staff at St Ritas Hospital days after Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi conducted a dramatic unannounced visit that saw three top executives, including the CEO, effectively dismissed on live video.
Motsoaledi, flanked by Limpopo Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba, Health MEC Dieketseng Mashego, support staff, and a government media team, descended on the rural hospital on Tuesday. The visit, according to the Minister, was prompted by a flood of complaints about poor service delivery.
Caught off guard, the hospital’s top brass – CEO Mokgano Mahloele, Clinical Manager, and Senior Nursing Services Manager – were publicly criticised and sidelined in front of staff, patients, and rolling government cameras.
“We came unannounced because we’ve received too many complaints about poor service at this hospital. The place is filthy. Staff aren’t wearing uniforms or displaying name tags. There’s no leadership,” said Motsoaledi during the live broadcast.
Although he stopped short of announcing outright suspensions, the minister stated:
“They will be moved elsewhere. We’ve brought in acting replacements for 100 days. After that, we’ll review progress and advertise the positions.”
The sudden move has drawn sharp criticism from staff.
A senior nurse, speaking on condition of anonymity said, “Yes, oversight is necessary. But humiliating the CEO and his team in front of patients and online viewers felt more like a publicity stunt than a genuine intervention.”
Another insider described the incident as “strange and unconventional,” adding, “This smacks of political showboating. You don’t dismiss people on social media without first presenting charges.”
Premier Ramathuba admitted that the hospital had long been under fire for poor patient care.
“We receive beautiful reports from HODs and CFOs, but the reality on the ground is shocking,” she said. “If we don’t act urgently, Limpopo could return to being one of the provinces with the highest maternal death rates.”
MEC Mashego, who unlike her colleagues is not a Medical Doctor, remained mostly silent during the visit, even as her counterparts engaged directly with nurses, radiographers, pharmacists, and other staff.
St Ritas Hospital has been in the spotlight before including for recent water outages that left staff and patients without running taps for days.
Attempts to reach CEO Mokgano Mahloele for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication. Worker unions are yet to respond to the developments.
