East London’s Frere Hospital is facing fresh scrutiny following allegations of irregular appointments, maladministration and financial misconduct — claims now being taken to the office of the public protector and parliament’s appropriations committee.
The allegations include that the former HR director had been assigned to another job while an investigation into his conduct was being done, but in the three years of his secondment did not turn up for work despite being paid R1.3m a year.
After years without a permanent CEO, the provincial health department finally appointed Sicelo Msi, who started work on December 1.
Msi previously served in a similar role at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdantsane.
The department had been without a permanent CEO at Frere since the departure of Dr Rolene Wagner to the provincial health headquarters, where the hospital’s former acting CEO, Mmabatho Ndwandwe, confirmed she was headed.
The new claims come after the chair of parliament’s standing committee on appropriations, Dr Mmusi Maimane, wrote to public protector Kholeka Gcaleka last Thursday asking for a formal investigation into the troubled tertiary hospital.
Public Protector spokesperson Ndili Msoki on Tuesday said: “The Public Protector South Africa confirms receipt of the complaint.”
Maimane told parliament his committee had received confidential information from a whistleblower shortly after the committee’s oversight visit to the hospital in November.
The whistleblower said Ndwandwe — who was acting CEO during the committee’s visit — was suddenly removed “without a clear reason”.
Her removal came despite what staff have described as extensive work done in stabilising operations during a leadership vacuum that has stretched over several years.
On Tuesday, provincial health spokesperson Siyanda Manana dismissed the allegations, insisting Msi’s recruitment process had been above board.
“The Frere CEO post was vacant and filled through a competitive external advert,” he said.
“The recruitment and selection process was approved by an independent panel.”
However, a high-ranking department source alleges that Ndwandwe was moved after receiving a report in October flagging corruption within the hospital’s management structures.
“Ndwandwe had done tremendous work at the hospital but corruption has infested [levels] to the highest degree. We don’t know how Msi will deal with it.”
Maimane said the whistleblower had contacted his office after the committee’s visit, raising concerns that the hospital’s problems extended well beyond leadership disputes.
The committee had observed severe infrastructure decay, weak record-keeping systems and a management team who were all acting in their positions.
“What was worrying is that this hospital was called Hollywood, because the entire management were there in an acting capacity,” Maimane said.
“No-one was there permanently. And there seemed to be no digital records — the process of digitisation is far from done.”
He said the whistleblower had highlighted several “scrupulous tenders” previously issued under questionable circumstances, along with a pattern of suspensions and reappointments involving senior officials.
The committee’s said of particular concern was the reappointment of Frere’s human resources director, who had previously been suspended for alleged misconduct.
I’ve never seen disorganisation like this in any place I’ve worked.
— Frere Hospital nurse
A 2022 precautionary transfer letter signed by Wagner — and seen by the Dispatch — stated that the senior official had been removed due to “various acts of misconduct”, including gross negligence, for failing to rectify incorrect salary payments for a doctor, despite repeated reminders.
He was also accused of poor diligence after signing irregular appointments in July and August 2022.
He was transferred to another department during the investigation but allegedly did not report for duty.
“He basically absconded, but the department was paying him more than R1.3m annually,” the source said.
The official returned to his job on Wednesday last week. Manana did not respond to questions about his reinstatement.
Concerns have also been raised about irregular tender processes involving land use on the hospital premises.
According to Maimane, the committee’s preliminary information paints a bleak picture of a hospital buckling under severe administrative and operational strain.
“These include chronic staff shortages, long-standing infrastructure problems and limited resources, all of which undermine the quality of health care provided,” Maimane said.
“Frere Hospital is a referral facility for four district municipalities, serving about 3.2-million people in mostly rural areas, yet it continues to face overwhelming patient volumes.”
He stressed that the proposed investigation must address “human factors” that could be worsening the hospital’s failures.
“Many people are suffering while those responsible for the hospital’s administration are failing to ensure that patients receive timely and adequate care.
“We cannot allow another situation similar to the Tembisa Hospital situation to occur in the Eastern Cape.”
For years, staff at Frere have raised red flags — including during a Dispatch visit to the maternity ward in October.
Frontline workers described life-threatening conditions for mothers and newborns due to extreme staff shortages.
The deterioration has contributed to an exodus of doctors and specialists, while medical negligence claims against the hospital continue.
Inside the intensive care and maternity units, staff repeatedly warned the provincial department about the “compromises” they were forced to make in an environment that “creates spread of infection rather than control”.
By 2019, the ward was short of 19 staff members needed for efficient operation.
Instead of receiving reinforcements, it had since lost 18 more employees who had not been replaced.
“I’ve never seen disorganisation like this in any place I’ve worked,” one nurse said.
“You work here until you die — they want to make you feel it.”
During the Dispatch’s visit, nurses were forced to transport patients between units themselves due to a shortage of porters.
In the neonatal ICU, three premature babies were in faulty incubators whose temperature could not be controlled.
Of the hospital’s 15 incubators, only seven were functional; three were dangerously overheating, while another was being used as an emergency resuscitation machine.
Equipment essential for premature infants was also in short supply.
The unit requires several CPAP oxygen-support machines, but only a limited number are available.
Staffing levels were equally dire: though six staff members are needed per shift, both day and night shifts were operating with just three nurses — only one of whom was a professional nurse.
National health spokesperson Foster Mohale said though the department was yet to receive formal correspondence on the issue, it applied a zero-tolerance policy on unethical behaviour, including the misappropriation of funds.
“However, we believe in the principle of innocence until proven guilty,” Mohale said.
Daily Dispatch
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