Sheriff confronts Gauteng govt again
2012-01-29 19:16
Johannesburg - The sheriff of the court has visited the Gauteng government for the second time in three days, following another failure to adhere to a court order, the DA said on Sunday.
The sheriff arrived at Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane's office on Friday to attach furniture after the health department failed to settle a R6.3m claim for medical negligence, spokesman Jack Bloom said in a statement.
The claim, granted on September 5 last year by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, was instituted against the department by Shabbier Nagel. He had gone to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria for heart surgery, but had his leg amputated instead.
According to Bloom the sheriff arrived at the office on Friday and spent most of the morning in talks with the premier's legal advisers. An agreement was reached that they would pay the full amount by Friday, February 3.
"The delay in payment at 15.5% interest has added an extra R320 000 to be paid by the Gauteng provincial government. This could have been saved with prompt payment."
On Wednesday South Gauteng High Court deputy sheriff Diana Chivelli arrived at Mokonyane's office to attach furniture, after the provincial government failed to pay R9.25m in compensation to a boy who was left brain-damaged because of negligence at a public hospital.
"On 18 January her officials scrambled to pay the R1m that her office furniture is valued at before it was removed to pay court ordered medical damages of R9.25m to 12-year-old Prince Sibusiso Khanyi who became brain-damaged when he was born at the Pholosong Hospital [in Ekurhuleni]," he said.
The premier's spokesperson, Xoli Mngambi, said the R9.25m claim was being handled by the health department and had been referred to it. He confirmed the sheriff had visited the premier's office on January 18. He said he was not aware of Friday's visit for Nagel's claim and referred further inquiries to the health department.
Department spokesperson Simon Zwane said Nagel's claim was being processed with the aim of having it settled by Friday, February 3.
The department had been granted leave to appeal Khanyi's claim.
- SAPA