The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has told Parliament’s portfolio committee on health that conditions in some Eastern Cape maternity wards and Thuthuzela care centres fall short of required standards, citing leaking roofs, mould, exposed wires and staffing shortfalls.
What the CGE reported to MPs
The CGE presented two investigations at a committee meeting, where MPs pressed the provincial health department for timelines and accountability. The commission inspected six hospitals and 11 Thuthuzela care centres, the CGE told the committee.
Unsafe hospital conditions
According to the CGE’s head of legal, Tsietsi Shuping, the inspections found leaking roofs, mould and poor cleaning that put patients at risk. The report also recorded exposed electrical wires in a tunnel to one maternity ward, which the CGE said created a fire danger.
Shuping told MPs that “Maternal mortality rates persisted at a concerning level in the Eastern Cape, despite a high percentage of pregnant women utilising maternal health services.” He attributed differences in hospital performance to management failures, saying “Leadership emerged as a critical factor affecting the performance of maternal health services at a facility level.”
Delays and resource gaps at rape care centres
The CGE’s second report examined Thuthuzela care centres that provide medical, legal and psychological support to survivors of gender-based violence. The commission found that only four of the 11 TCCs met the two-hour response target, and that about 60% of cases reached court.
MK Party MP Thembinkosi Mjadu cited staffing findings from the report: “Only three of 11 TCCs have dedicated forensic nurses, and 36% of TCCs, including Lusikisiki and Mthatha, have no SAP officials on site,” he stated. He also highlighted that the report found only five TCCs have social auxiliary workers or first responders, while only four of the 11 TCCs attend to GBV victims for the prescribed two hours per period.
Dr Charnell Naidu, a CGE commissioner, told MPs that the problems were systemic: “The findings revealed several systemic issues, including inadequate staffing, lack of standardised protocols, inconsistent oversight, and resource constraints.”
Parliamentary response and accountability
Several MPs expressed anger at the findings. Mjadu said: “Someone must be charged here. It’s unfair to the people of Eastern Cape.” DA MP Dr Karl Willem du Pré le Roux cautioned against judging hospitals by appearance and asked whether commissioners had spoken to patients about abuse during labour.
Shuping noted legal limits on enforcement, saying “The recommendations of the public protector, as well as other chapter 9 institutions, are not binding,” and added that the CGE could pursue litigation if reports were ignored. He also said that failures cut across health, police and justice and that “It’s not a matter of who to blame.”
Health department figures and follow-up
An Eastern Cape health official told the committee that maternal deaths fell from 127 in 2024 to 85 in the 2025 financial year, and attributed the reduction to staff training, better-equipped units and a special R897 million allocation for beds and linen. The official acknowledged ongoing challenges, citing funding and budget constraints.
Committee chairperson Azwihangwisi Faith Muthambi said the meeting needed to produce action: “We want to understand the implications of these findings for accountability, service delivery, and the protection of the rights of the women, mothers, newborns, and survivors of gender based violence.” Muthambi asked the department for a full progress report by the 15th, and the committee planned a wider follow-up meeting to “invite everyone involved so that we can tackle this issue once and for all.”
What the CGE said about implementation
Shuping told MPs that despite limits on binding power, departments had implemented many recommendations from chapter 9 institutions and that the CGE could litigate where necessary.
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