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At least 99 people have died since 2022 following heart surgery at Charlotte Maxeke hospital in Johannesburg, with sepsis as one of the contributing factors in the deaths.
This was revealed at the legislature by Gauteng health MEC Faith Mazibuko in response to the DA’s questions about the deaths, which the party said were unacceptably high.
Mazibuko said 814 cardiac surgical procedures had been performed at the hospital since 2022, averaging 200 a year.
However, some of the challenges that led to the deaths were primarily due to anaesthetic staffing constraints, she said, adding that there was a significant loss of senior cardiothoracic consultants over time.
“The vacancy of key leadership posts, such as the head of department position, does place [an] undue workload on the head of [the] clinical unit, who has undertaken major tasks usually shared by the two positions. Despite these constraints, the department maintained continuity of service and no measurable decline in operative output.”
Mazibuko said 99 patients died from heart surgery over the last four years: 23 in 2025, 27 in 2024, 38 in 2023, and 11 in 2022.
“This reflects a progressive and sustained improvement in outcomes, with an overall 34% reduction in mortality between 2023 and 2025.
“This improvement is clinically significant, particularly in the context of a high-risk surgical population, a substantial number of redo and emergency cases, severe staffing and operational constraints,” Mazibuko said.
However, the DA’s shadow MEC for health, Jack Bloom, claims there is a cover-up at the hospital’s cardiothoracic unit, with data collection not reported accurately.
He said previously there was a claim of a 72.5% reduction, and when he questioned it, the department said they did not intentionally provide false information, but the number “presumably resulted from a calculation error during the collection of preliminary, non-reconciled datasets”.
“This is a poor excuse, as accurate data collection is essential to track trends and take corrective action,” Bloom said. “Using their own figures for deaths, I calculate somewhat different annual mortality rates. Their admitted 14% mortality rate last year is scandalously high. In leading overseas cardiac centres, mortality rates exceeding 2-3% would trigger an immediate formal inquiry.”
The department has, however, rejected that there was a cover-up regarding clinical outcomes or higher mortality rates at the hospital.
Steve Mabona, the Gauteng health department’s spokesperson, said cardiac surgery mortality rates at the hospital are declining.
“Clinical performance within the cardiothoracic unit is subject to established governance, audit and oversight processes, including routine morbidity and mortality reviews, multidisciplinary clinical discussions and accreditation mechanisms designed to ensure accountability and patient safety,” he said.
“The department acknowledges the importance of accurate clinical reporting and has already initiated measures to strengthen data governance, validation and quality assurance processes to ensure greater accuracy and consistency in future reporting.”
Sowetan
Michelle Banda
www.timeslive.co.za
