Northdale Hospital board chairperson Hlalani Zondi said the recent backlash the hospital received over its contingency plans following a power outage may have been politically motivated.
Zondi has maintained that the hospital management was not at fault and the real issues lie with the Department of Health.
A video of staff at Pietermaritzburg’s Northdale Hospital cooking over a fire outside during a widespread power outage went viral recently, leading to KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane’s call for disciplinary action against those staff members.
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During the outage, although three back-up generators activated immediately, one malfunctioned — affecting the kitchen.
The MEC said the protocol was for staff to seek assistance from nearby hospitals, and that cooking food outside with firewood violated food safety and contingency protocols. However, Zondi condemned this move, calling it “disruptive and politically suspect”.
“The board, appointed by the MEC, exists to build cordial relations between the hospital and the community. The issue is not with hospital management but with the department.
“Management can only support and advise private service providers during a crisis, not instruct them. Northdale hospital kitchen and catering services are outsourced to a company that has a signed SLA with the department of Health.
When the power outage and generator failure affected the hospital kitchen, the hospital management should have involved for suport and guidance by the service provider if, the company was unable to meet it’s contractual obligation
“The initiative taken by the kitchen staff , while not viewed as best by the department, is commendable, taking into consideration that the decision and intervention had the best interest of the patients.
“Despite the incident, the community was still being served and there were no negative complications or disruption of services by the hospital,” said Zondi.
He pointed to broader infrastructure issues, including the hospital’s non-functioning boiler, and generators that did not kick in during the power outage.
“The hospital management is under siege. This has been apparent for some time. There’s an urgent need to address infrastructure decay, but there’s small signs of progress,” he said.
Hospital CEO Nobukhosi Xulu declined to comment on both the open-fire cooking incident and infrastructure concerns, referring The Witness to the Health Department.
The department acknowledged receipt of the media query last Thursday but has not yet responded.
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During the outage, National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) regional leaders visited the hospital and took photos and videos — including in the mortuary — which were later shared on social media.
Zondi questioned Nehawu’s motives behind sharing the images and videos. “Nehawu has long known about Northdale’s systemic issues.
“Their decision to stage a photo campaign during the outage, rather than constructively engage the department, raises red flags. Are they seeking solutions or political leverage?”
Zondi asked, adding that the hospital faces challenges like bed shortages, overworked staff, supply issues, and decaying infrastructure, all worsened by a “shrinking budget that fails to meet operational needs”.
Nehawu’s Harry Gwala regional secretary, Mazwi Ngubane, confirmed that he took photos and videos on the day but denied that the union was targeting the CEO.
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“The CEO is one of those who want to see change at the hospital, but the provincial government’s upper structures should be supporting her. She has been doing her best to turn the hospital’s fortunes around,” said Ngubane.
Meanwhile, Nehawu provincial secretary Ayanda Zulu rejected MEC Simelane’s call for disciplinary measures. He said the hospital management should not be blamed for failures outside their control.