DA Motion Wins Unanimous Support, Forces Action on Health’s Unpaid Suppliers

In a major victory for Eastern Cape residents, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has secured unanimous support in the Legislature for a motion demanding urgent action on the Department of Health’s R90 million debt to Afrox and the wider crisis of unpaid health suppliers.

The resolutions compel the executive to account for years of delayed payments and implement concrete measures to stabilise hospital supply chains and protect patient care.

The Eastern Cape Department of Health is a respondent in national legal action brought by Afrox over roughly R90 million in unpaid invoices, some dating back to 2017. These outstanding debts highlight deep failures in financial management and pose a serious risk to continuity of care across the province.

For years, the DA has warned that this culture of non-payment disrupts hospital operations, strains emergency services, and pushes healthcare suppliers towards collapse. In December 2025, Provincial Treasury allocated R514 million to settle outstanding accounts, but this is far below the billions in unpaid invoices flagged by the Auditor-General.

The resolutions adopted yesterday go further:

• MEC for Health Ntandokazi Capa must urgently establish a multi-disciplinary task team to secure uninterrupted medical gas and other essential supplies and report back to the Legislature on measures taken to safeguard patient care.

• Capa must draft and table a comprehensive, time-bound payment plan for all outstanding Health invoices, clearly detailing funding sources and payment milestones.

• Premier Oscar Mabuyane is required to report on steps to bring the Department of Health onto the “Have I Been Paid?” platform, restoring transparency for suppliers long excluded from the system.

These measures create clear executive obligations to stabilise hospital services, protect businesses in the health supply chain, and end years of delayed payments.

A unanimous vote means every political party has agreed these steps are necessary. Now the executive must deliver.

The DA will closely monitor implementation to ensure the resolutions lead to real payments, secure supply chains, and safer hospitals. Paying suppliers on time keeps wards open, protects jobs, and safeguards patient lives.

The people of the Eastern Cape deserve leadership that delivers, fostering a future built on dignity, accountability, and honest government.