‘We are not overcrowded, we are managing the patients’, assures Mkhize

Mkhize was speaking in KwaZulu-Natal where he visited the Amajuba District on Friday.

He warned that the number of confirmed cases are likely to rise sharply in the next two to three week.

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During his visit to two hospitals in the district, Mkhize addressed accusations by Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Siviwe Gwarumbe that the department failed to build a hospital in North West.

Gwarube tweeted on Thursday that the health department did not fulfil its mandate in building a 200-bed hospital in Rustenburg.

"The donation by the Maseve Mine to NW DoH for a 200 bedded facility is separate from this and is done. The parliamentary reply specifies 200 beds for Rustenburg which aren’t here," she said.

But Mkhize said this is simply not true.  

"We did say we wanted to defer the peak so we can prepare our health facilities and this has happened. 

"You will notice that we are not overcrowded. We are managing the patients and will be able to take more patients even if the surge increases.

"We are all on course and on track in terms of where we going to put hospitals beds and where will refurbish hospitals.”

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Mkhize said Gwarube has admitted that she was mistaken. 

"The hospital is in operation, it was opened by premier (Job) Mokgoro. Clearly, she must understand this. The reality is she went to look for a hospital in a matter that I never raised in my answer.

"I expect her to acknowledge and correct it in public because it's a wrong impression that has been created.

"I understood that she really misunderstood it. It sounds like quite an honest mistake"