Staff reporter
Bloemfontein – The office of Health MEC and unionist Viceroy Mahlatsi continues to hog headlines for the wrong reasons.
This follows a previous report by STEPUPSANEWS highlighting how two employees who were dismissed are being treated differently, with one sitting at home without a salary while the other continues working and earning a salary.
In January 2025, just six months into office, Mahlatsi was already failing to deal with appeals timeously, and the situation appears to have worsened.
According to the Bargaining Council, appeals must be finalised within 30 days. However, this does not appear to be the case at the Department of Health, where appeals are received by the MEC’s office but remain unresolved.
In May 2025, Eunice Mphanya was dismissed from Bongani Hospital. Ten months later, her appeal is still pending. With no income, her house has now been put up FOR SALE, while Mahlatsi continues living in a state-sponsored residence.
Psychiatrist Report Rejected
STEPUPSANEWS is in possession of a letter from a psychiatrist recommending that Mphanya not be placed on night shift due to health reasons. The letter was sent to the hospital on the 19 March 2025.
However, hospital management rejected the recommendation without seeking a second psychiatric opinion and proceeded to schedule Mphanya for two consecutive night-shift cycles.
The rejection was made by nurses, like nurses second guessing a Medical Doctor. It’s more like nurses refusing the orders of a specialized doctor without implementing required processes for second opinion or disprove him.
A psychiatrist is a Doctor. Only in Free State.
Silence from MEC’s office
Mokapi Mokhachane, the office manager in MEC Mahlatsi’s office who reportedly earns over R1 million per year and is tasked with handling appeals, did not respond to questions sent by STEPUPSANEWS, he is hardly in the office as he travels and claiming kilometers but that’s a story for another day.
Below are questions sent to Mokhachane:
- As manager in the office of the MEC on salary level 13, how many appeals have you received since MEC Viceroy Mahlatsi roped you in back in July 2024?
- How many have you finalised?
- How many are still outstanding?
- Why are there outstanding appeals?
- As office manager, are yu failing MEC?
- Are you aware people are losing their houses and moveable assets while you are earning a salary and not finalising their appeals?
- As office manager do you travel?
- When you do travel who takes care of the office?
- How much are you making per month on kilos?
- Is this even lawful for office manager to travel?
- Eunice Mpanya has been without salary since May 2025, when do you think you will finalize her appeal?
- Lastly, is the entire office of MEC incompetent?
Bongani Hospital Management on our radar
We will point with evidence roles played Lucas Khanane, Given Kula, acting CEO Shale among these.
With President Cyril Ramaphosa expected to visit the University of the Free State on 27 March, all government employees aggrieved by the current leadership are to protest at the campus, maybe they will be given an audience by the President.
Health workers are suffering and offered no help or assistance yet they are expected to take care of the patients.
This is a developing story.
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