People's premier out among the people?

There was no sign of outgoing Eastern Cape Premier Nosimo Balindlela today when the Bhisho Legislature started a weeklong sitting even though a report on the Office of the Premier on a fact-finding mission to the Ugie/Maclear timber project was debated.

Her replacement Mbulelo Sogoni was present as were several MEC’s (Heath MEC Nomsa Jajula was the lone exception) who will be replaced on Friday.

Handed out were copies of the voluminous Pillay Commission that includes some eight annexures. Interestingly, as was noted by many members of the Legislature many if not all the recommendations contained in annexure eight had been made year after year in reports compiled by the legislature’s committees.

One imagines the ad hoc committee considering the report will comment on that when it submits its report.

D-Day for Balindlela

Three Eastern Cape MECs will be axed along with Premier Nosimo Balindlela as part of a provincial cabinet reshuffle that will see Mbulelo Sogoni, currently MEC for Economic Development and Environmental Affairs elected as the province’s fourth premier.

Out will go Education MEC Johnny Makgato his Finance colleague MEC Billy Nel as well as Health MEC Nomsa Jajula as part of efforts to speed up delivery and development in the province.

Alliance partners, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party remain opposed to the election of Sogoni and tough negotiations are continuing. They may, however, have to be satisfied with appointments to key portfolios for which they have already submitted proposals as part of a comprehensive agreement.

Full story on who is likely to be in the next provincial cabinet in Thursday’s edition of The Herald.

MPLs say no to hospital spin

Tragedy – one of the early birds, an extremely overweight official has just bumbled in to discover the biltong is finished – wolfing down a couple of chicken legs instead.

The Bhisho Health department after being battered over problems at the Free Hospital maternity section and death of more than 100 babies at Ukhahlamba plans to spend R1,5 million “to broadcast audio-visual highlights of its achievements as a measure to boost its public image and community system”.

MPLs are not happy about this.

They are concerned that this is not in the best interests of health care and have asked the department to present a report with 30 days to state what they hope to achieve “within the context of the delivery of health services”.

Social Development MEC Sam Kwelita is standing in for the “ill” Nomsa Jajula. He admits he won’t be able to answer all the questions so that gets one of the worst performing departments off the hook.

Kwelita has come up with an extraordinary statement. Responding to a question from Bobby Stevenson about the shooting on a patient on the operating table at Livingstone he said: “…we want to ensure that members have the correct information.“We do not have information that a patient was shot on the operating table.”