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ActionSA is appalled by the recent revelation in an interview that the Minister of Monitoring, Evaluation and Planning has struck a backroom “deal” with the leader of the DA to supposedly “save” private medical aid. This so-called agreement is meaningless in the face of ANC Minister Motsoaledi’s headlong plunge into the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act and represents a complete disregard for parliamentary processes and legislative integrity.

Section 33 of the Act explicitly abolishes private medical aid. The only way to remove this provision is through a formal amendment in Parliament—something both the Minister and the DA leader are fully aware of. What we are witnessing is the blatant undermining of parliamentary authority, where critical legislative matters are being reduced to ministerial advisories and opaque backroom negotiations. Parliament, not the executive, makes laws. This disgraceful attempt at political theatre does nothing to change the legal reality of NHI.

ActionSA fully supports the goal of universal healthcare coverage, but NHI in its current form is an unworkable, unimplementable disaster. The government has failed to fix even the most basic issues in public healthcare. A recent parliamentary reply revealed doctor vacancy rates of up to 22%—a shocking indictment of the crisis in our hospitals. Years after fires devastated Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, no meaningful repairs have been done. Instead of fixing these problems, the government is pushing ahead with a scheme that will only worsen inefficiencies and create fertile ground for corruption—as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when billions were looted in PPE-related graft.

At the same time, private healthcare remains inaccessible to many South Africans due to sky-high medical aid costs. Real reform means implementing the recommendations of the Health Market Inquiry to ensure competitive pricing—not empty political gestures.

This so-called “deal” is nothing but smoke and mirrors, a cheap distraction from the unchanged, fundamental flaws in the NHI Act. If the Minister and DA were truly serious about protecting private healthcare, they would introduce the necessary amendments in Parliament instead of misleading the public.

ActionSA has long argued against the glaring hypocrisy of Parliamentarians and Cabinet members who enjoy exclusive access to private healthcare at the taxpayer’s expense while ordinary South Africans suffer under the burden of a decaying public healthcare system. If the government truly seeks to uplift the nation’s healthcare system, it must demonstrate accountability and embrace real reforms rooted in transparency, efficiency, and the dignity of all South Africans.

Issued by ActionSA MP Dr Kgosi Letlape