Premier
With regard to his comment on CapeTalk in response to Minister Mbombo’s Limpopo holiday and her social media post, which was: “I must say that, quite frankly, that social media posting was just unacceptable. That is not the right message that we must send out.”
- Whether he intends to or has initiated any disciplinary process against Minister Mbombo for the post; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
- what are the details of the discussions he has had with Minister Mbombo regarding the post;
- whether Minister Mbombo was granted leave to go on holiday to Limpopo; if not, why not; if so, what was the rationale behind granting her leave during a period in which the province was experiencing serious public healthcare challenges;
- whether the Minister’s post affected the image and reputation of the Western Cape Government; if so, what are the relevant details?
From the outset I would like to make it clear that Minister Nomafrench Mbombo had submitted a leave notification to me for the period in question and remained in Cape Town during the entire period of the relevant holiday; during which she continued to engage and attend meetings with me and others as pertain to her health portfolio during that difficult time. The questions submitted by Member Dugmore seek to create a false narrative that the Western Cape Minister for Health abandoned her post during a pandemic to travel to Limpopo. This is patently incorrect, she did not do so. We have done everything we can in the most difficult of circumstances to provide a world class health response and we will continue to deliver life-saving healthcare to every person who needs it when they need it.
- I engaged with Minister Mbombo after the social media post was brought to my attention. She explained that the song she was singing in her video was about the province of Limpopo and was an expression of her love for that province. In light of these facts, there was no grounds nor need for any disciplinary process. To reiterate once again, the Minister was in Cape Town at the time and continued to engage in all essential meetings on the pandemic for the duration of the festive season.
- I reiterated my discomfort about the social media post to the Minister and reiterated my view that it was unduly buoyant of her to post a singing and dancing video on social media during the pandemic, even if done by her in her free time and with the best intentions in the world.
- Minister Mbombo did not travel to Limpopo on holiday. She was in Cape Town and whilst she was on permitted leave she continued to attend to any meeting or matter necessary to effectively deal with the pandemic from a provincial health executive perspective throughout the festive season.
- I received two media queries requesting comment on the Minister’s social media post which I provided the facts on. On a daily basis, my cabinet and I engage the citizens in this province to keep them informed. Minister Mbombo’s relentless commitment to providing residents and frontline workers of this province with the best possible healthcare is in line with the Western Cape Government’s reputation of being an effective and responsive government.
