Shady lady: Limpopo MEC Miriam Sekgabutla allegedly appointed an advisor without advertising the job

Miriam Sekgabutla, the Limpopo health and social development MEC, stands accused of allegedly appointing her adviser, Dr Meshack Mbokota, without advertising the post.

Questions are being raised after it emerged that Mbokota, a gynaecologist by profession, had allegedly been paid more than R400000 in the past six months.

Mbokota used to be a director of Business Connexion, which once sued the provincial department of health.

The multi-million rand lawsuit was mysteriously withdrawn.

Now Mbokota, who was also once CE of Lethaba Hospital, now works for the same department.

The chairperson of the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) in Limpopo, Derrick Ngobeni, told Sunday World on Friday the department was as “sick as a dog”.

He said: “The department of health in Limpopo is extremely sick and in the intensive care unit – it needs an urgent operation.

“Officials here are looting and no proper procedures are being followed when employing some of the staff members or buying equipment.”

Ngobeni says Scopa, as well as the legislature, is still awaiting an explanation on how 80 ambulances were allegedly stolen in the province.

Opposition parties also want Sekgabutla to explain how Mbokota was appointed and why the post was not advertised.

Department spokesperson Selby Makgotho asked Sunday World to send all the questions to him in writing but was later not available for comment. Both his phones were switched off.