Spin doctors must stop defending the indefensible

Rather stand with those who tell the uncomfortable truth

- Jack Bloom

Themba Sepotokele devotes a whole column to how I was supposedly outsmarted by Gauteng health spokesperson Motaletale Modiba (“Bloom checkmated by alert health spokesperson”, April 27).

The incident arose when I said hospital security costs have ballooned while delivering poor value for money.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t question why security costs at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital have soared to R77-million a year - up from R22-million a decade ago.

At Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital, security now costs R72-million annually, up from R35-million three years ago.

Modiba got a right of reply to my interview on Power FM, but it’s hard to spin the numbers when the facts are against you.

Being a spokesperson for a department mired in waste, inefficiency, and corruption is challenging. Imagine having to defend the cover-up of corrupt contracts at Tembisa Hospital - the ones whistle-blower Babita Deokaran was murdered for exposing.

What about the looted Covid funds while people were dying, or the recent court ruling declaring the department's failure to treat cancer patients both unlawful and unconstitutional?

As they say, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig.