We hired security firms on long-term basis to save costs – Gauteng health department

However, Bloom said this amounted to about R23,000 per worker a month, whereas most Grade C security officers get about R6,000 a month. He said security cost for the hospital has gone up by R77m a year compared to R22m a decade ago. 

“It looks like yet another hospital security rip-off after huge increases in security at other hospitals as well. “For instance, R72m a year is spent on security at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, up from R35m three years ago,” Bloom said.

He also said his party would continue to “press for an urgent review of soaring hospital security costs which divert money needed to improve patient care”.

The department’s spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, said they had to do away with month-to-month security contracts which cost the department more than R59m. 

“This saw new three-year contracts which involve multiple companies coming into effect on the 1st of April 2024 and will run until the end of March 2027,” said Modiba.

Modiba said it was “rather opportunistic and disingenuous” that people that have been for the longest of time taking the department to task for not having proper security contracts in place which was leading to unauthorised expenditure are now the same people who seem to be having an issue.

“In which economy do things cost today what they cost 10 years ago? The month-to-month contracts that were in place previously were not in line with industry rates and standards. You cannot, in all reasonability, expect that a service that cost you R10 ten years ago will still cost you the same today.”

During a response to Bloom, Nkomo-Ralehoko also said the Bara CEO Dr Nthabiseng Makgana had bodyguards that she was paying for. 

According to Modiba, Makgana’s security arrangements were undertaken entirely at her own discretion and expense, without the use of state funds.

“Under South African law, personal security arrangements made in private capacity constitute private information and are therefore protected under Protection of Personal Information Act 2013. This legislation prohibits the disclosure of an individual’s personal security detail.”

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