Scopa blasts Limpopo over 'Panado approach'

'It's four times that you cut and paste on this issue'

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

The Limpopo department of health has been dragged into the dock of public accountability after lawmakers accused it of recycling the same explanations for service delivery failures year after year, a bureaucratic loop that has left audit outcomes stagnant and confidence shaken.

In one of the most stinging rebukes yet, the provincial standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) likened the department’s repeated submissions to over-the-counter painkillers handed out for every illness, regardless of severity.

The criticism was aimed squarely at health MEC Dieketseng Mashego and head of department Dr Ntodeni Ndwamato, with the committee raising concerns about continued noncompliance with public finance legislation and persistent audit regressions.

“Every family and every individual is affected by the services of this department. That is why it is important that they get their finances right,” remarked Limpopo Scopa chairperson Esther Mokoele.