In a significant win for Eastern Cape residents, the Democratic Alliance secured unanimous support in the Legislature for a motion compelling urgent action on the Department of Health’s R90 million debt to Afrox and the wider crisis of unpaid health suppliers.
The resolutions force the executive to account for years of delayed payments and to implement concrete measures to protect patient care and stabilise hospital supply chains.
The Eastern Cape Department of Health is a respondent in national legal action brought by Afrox, linked to roughly R90 million in unpaid invoices. Some of these reportedly date back to 2017, exposing deep failures in financial management and threatening continuity of care across the province.
The DA has for years warned that this culture of non-payment disrupts hospital operations, strains emergency services, and pushes healthcare businesses toward collapse.
In December, Provincial Treasury took initial steps to address the crisis by allocating R514 million to settle outstanding accounts, but this remains far short of the billions in unpaid invoices flagged by the Auditor-General.
The resolutions adopted yesterday go further. The MEC for Health, Ntandokazi Capa, must now urgently establish a multi-disciplinary task team to secure uninterrupted medical gas and other essential supplies and report back to the Legislature on measures taken to safeguard patient care.
Capa must also draft and table a comprehensive, time-bound payment plan for all outstanding Health invoices, clearly setting out funding sources and payment milestones.
In addition, Premier Oscar Mabuyane is required to report on concrete steps to bring the Department of Health onto the “Have I Been Paid?” platform, restoring transparency for suppliers who have been excluded for years.
Download motion here.
These resolutions create clear executive obligations to stabilise hospital services, protect businesses in the health supply chain, and end a culture of delayed payment.
A unanimous vote means every party accepted these steps. Now the executive must deliver.
The DA will closely monitor implementation to ensure these resolutions translate into real payments, secure supply chains, and safer hospitals.
Paying suppliers on time keeps wards open, protects jobs, and safeguards patient lives. The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, and a future built on dignity, accountability, and honest government.