Government would not change its mind on rolling out the National Health Insurance (NHI), President Cyril Ramaphosa told MPs yesterday.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly, Ramaphosa said despite widespread criticism of government’s plan for universal healthcare coverage and threats of lawsuits to challenge the constitutionality of the NHI Bill, government believed its plan will bring an end to healthcare inequality.
“We are called upon to retain an unjust system that deprives the majority of South Africans of access to doctors, specialists . . . and to this have to say a unanimous no,” the president asserted.
“This is unfair, it is inefficient, it is unsustainable. We have enough resources in this country to give every man, every woman, every child healthcare but we refuse because we want to promote the interests of a few to the detriment of the rest. We shall change this and we are irrevocably committed to do this.”
Last week, billions of rand was wiped from the Johannesburg stock exchange when the NHI bill was introduced in Parliament for processing.
The DA and other parties are threatening legal action to test the constitutionality of the bill.
Ramaphosa said this was unfortunate and blamed it on people sending out alarmist messages on the NHI.
“I feel sorry for those who have lost money but losses on the stock exchange happen from time to time . . . we cannot say because of that we should now abandon the 84 percent of our people who need to gain and benefit from national healthcare.”
Ramaphosa also threw cold water on a suggestion that a separate commission of inquiry be established to probe allegations of state capture, corruption and fraud involving African Global Opertations, the company formerly known as Bosasa.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane asked whether Ramaphosa would, given the plethora of allegations of corruption against Bosasa made during the Zondo inquiry into state capture, institute a “full-scale, independent inquiry” on Bosasa.
Ramaphosa, however, was not convinced.
“There is absolutely no reason to establish a new inquiry to investigate a matter that is already being investigated by a sitting commission of inquiry,” the president said.
“As a country and as leaders, we should direct our efforts toward supporting the Zondo commission of inquiry and urging all with information relevant to its mandate to make themselves available to the commission.”
The wrangling between Ramaphosa and the opposition over a R500 000 donation to his CR17 campaign to contest the presidency of the ruling party in December 17 also dominated the sitting.
Ramaphosa sidestepped a demand from Maimane that he undertake to refund all the money that has flowed from Bosasa to the ANC in the past 15 years, as these funds were “the proceeds of corruption”.
Maimane brandished a letter that has surfaced in the media, written in 2014 by then ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize to Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson to thank him for a R3 million donation to the governing party, less than two months before the national and provincial elections in that year.
“Dear Mr Watson,” Mkhize wrote on an official ANC letterhead, “This serves to acknowledge the receipt of R3 000 000.00 donation to the AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS.”