Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge

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Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge (born 29 June 1952) was the Deputy Minister of Health of South Africa under President Thabo Mbeki until she was dismissed by him on August 8, 2007, after which she was automatically reduced to her role as a member of parliament (MP) representing the African National Congress. From 1999 to April 2004 she was the Deputy Minister of Defence.[1] She has also been a member of the South African Communist Party since 1984[2] and became Deputy Minister of Defence in 1999. Madlala-Routledge is well-known for helping combat AIDS in South Africa, and is considered by many to have resisted government denial of the severity of the epidemic.[3] She was also an opponent of the use of alternative medicine treatments of HIV in place of scientifically tested methods.[4]

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[edit] Personal life

Madlala-Routledge is married to Jeremy Routledge. They have two sons, Martin and Simon.[5] She resides in Cape Town.

A Quaker and former ANC and SA Communist Party underground operative in KwaZulu Natal, she was one of the four-strong SACP delegation to the Convention for a Democratic SA that negotiated the transition from apartheid.[6]

She also served with Cyril Ramaphosa on the working group that drew up the constitutional framework.[6]

[edit] Dismissal as Deputy Minister of Health

On August 8, 2007 on the eve of National Women's Day, Madlala-Routledge was removed by President Thabo Mbeki as Deputy Minister of Health.[7][8] There was some speculation as to the specific reason of her dismissal at the time, given certain speculative elements:

  • the long-term disharmony and disagreement on HIV/AIDS and other issues between herself and the Minister of Health (Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang);[9]
  • her findings supporting a damning report by the Daily Dispatch on the conditions of the maternity ward at Frere Hospital, which were contradicted by Tshabalala-Msimang[10] and president Mbeki;[11]
  • a recent trip she had made to an AIDS conference in Spain, which was referred to president Mbeki for pre-approval, which was declined after she had left.[12]

However a press release by the presidency didn't cite any reason for her dismissal.[7] According to the presidency, the president is not obliged to give a reason for sacking a minister;[13] however, it was later revealed in a press conference by Madlala-Routledge that the president had called a meeting asking for her to resign citing the unauthorised trip to an international AIDS conference in Spain. Madlala-Routledge had declined to resign and the next day she was officially retrenched.

[edit] Background of dismissal

[edit] Clashes with the Health Minister over HIV/AIDS

The dismissal had come after a long period of repeated public clashes with the Minister of Health Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang over national HIV/AIDS policy. It is noteworthy however that both the Minister of Health Tshabalala-Msimang and president Mbeki have received widespread condemnation in the past over their controversial stances on HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS policy, more notably Health Minister Tshabalala-Msimang, and that Madlala-Routledge had been championed as a 'ray of hope' within the department over HIV/AIDS issues and has received widespread support for dissenting her boss's controversial views on HIV/AIDS.[14] A notable illustration of this dissent was the public AIDS test that she undertook in 2006.

[edit] Conflicting reports over Frere Hospital

More recently the two ministers had released conflicting reports over the conditions of the maternity ward at Frere hospital, in the Eastern Cape province. Madlala-Routledge had reported that conditions at the maternity ward were a 'national disaster'. This was later contradicted by Msimang, who reported that her deputy's comments were based on 'untruths', that the mortality rate at the hospital had been exaggerated, and that the infant death rates were 'in line with the national average'.[9]

These events were preceded by an exposé in the Daily Dispatch newspaper over the allegedly appalling conditions at the Frere Hospital. Madlala-Routledge first paid a visit to the hospital, which had not been scheduled nor communicated to the hospital, and after her report, Msimang subsequently paid a scheduled and announced visit to the hospital. Finally, writing in his weekly column, president Thabo Mbeki had defended Msimang's report on Frere Hospital and downplayed the Daily Dispatch's investigations as inflammatory, effectively dismissing the deputy minister's views.[15]

[edit] 'Unauthorised' trip to AIDS conference in Spain

Madlala-Routledge had recently applied for and made a trip to an international AIDS conference in Spain, which had received approval from the necessary departments but had been forwarded to the president for approval, which had not been granted by the time she made the trip.[12] However, she had applied to leave one day after the day she left for the conference, and president Mbeki declined authorisation of the trip while she was still en route to Spain. Upon arrival, and being informed of the declination, Madlala-Routledge cancelled her visit to the conference and booked the next flight back home.

Madlala-Routledge has expressed in a press-conference after her firing, that it is not entirely uncommon for ministers to travel without receiving an approval answer from the presidency because Ministers often leave at such short notice. Other ministers have made similar trips without presidential authorisation and have not been penalised.

[edit] Political career following dismissal

In December 2007, she was elected to the ANC's National Executive Committee in 33rd place with 1,905 votes, well ahead of Tshabalala-Msimang.[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Department of Health profile on Madlala-Routledge retrieved 10 August 2007
  2. ^ whoswhosa.co.za: Profile on Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge retrieved 13 August 2007
  3. ^ Sharon LaFraniere (August 10, 2007). S. Africa Fires Official Praised for Anti-AIDS Work. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  4. ^ S.African minister sees AIDS row link to sacking. Reuters (August 10, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
  5. ^ Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge retrieved 12 August 2007
  6. ^ a b Sacked deputy happily back where she began
  7. ^ a b President Mbeki relieves Deputy Minister of Health, retrieved August 10 2007
  8. ^ President Mbeki sacks deputy health minister retrieved August 10 2007
  9. ^ a b Mbeki to look at relations between Manto, deputy retrieved 10 August 2007
  10. ^ SABCnews.com: Union accuses minister of downplaying baby deaths, retrieved 10 August 2007
  11. ^ Letter from the president, Volume 7, No. 29, accessed 10th August 2007
  12. ^ a b Deputy health minister defies Mbeki retrieved August 10 2007
  13. ^ Presidency and statements of the former Deputy Minister of Health The Presidency, retrieved 10 August 2007
  14. ^ Appoint Madlala-Routledge health minister: DA retrieved 10 August 2007
  15. ^ Letter from the presidency, Volume 7, No. 29, accessed 10th August 2007
  16. ^ Brendan Boyle, "Winnie Mandela tops ANC election list", The Times (South Africa), December 21, 2007.

[edit] External links