Pretoria intervention saves E Cape health corruption buster.

591 July 2012, Vol. 102, No. 7 SAMJ Progressive disempowerment and provincial healthcare under-budgeting in the Eastern Cape almost forced the resignation of its corruption-buster chief, Dr Siva Pillay and his most trusted administrators last month. The political moves were directly responsible for thousands of healthcare workers going without pay or being underpaid, for five months. National health minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who head-hunted Pillay, and ANC Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe, intervened on the eve of a two-week resignation deadline Pillay and Eastern Cape Premier Noxolo Kieviet had agreed upon to try and resolve an internal deadlock. Pillay, a former national parliamentarian and his political head, Eastern Cape Health MEC, Sicelo Gqobana, went head to head in a protracted power struggle that undermined service delivery, each accusing the other of ‘sabotage’, resulting in Pillay threatening to resign on 15 June unless he was given back administrative control – progressively bled from him over the last six months.