The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the Gauteng Department of Health of failing to properly safeguard children in public healthcare facilities after revelations that nearly 40,000 staff working in child-facing environments are not routinely screened against key national child protection registers.
DA Gauteng spokesperson for education Michael Waters has called for urgent intervention, warning that existing safeguards are inadequate to protect vulnerable children in hospitals, clinics, and community health programmes.
This comes after Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko revealed in a written reply to the Gauteng Provincial Legislature that the department employs 39,653 staff in “critical posts," many of whom work directly or indirectly with children.
In her formal response, Mazibuko confirmed that while the department conducts standard recruitment screening, including criminal background checks, qualification verification, and identity checks, it does not currently conduct routine vetting against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) or the National Child Protection Register (NCPR).
Mazibuko stated that the department carries out criminal background checks and standard pre-employment screening, including verification of qualifications, identity, and relevant professional registrations, as part of its recruitment and appointment processes.
However, she further confirmed that: “The Department does not currently conduct routine vetting of all employees against the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) or the National Child Protection Register (NCPR) as part of its standard employment processes.”
The DA has since intensified its criticism, saying the admission exposes a serious weakness in child protection systems within one of Gauteng’s largest public sector departments, particularly given the scale of staff working in environments involving minors.
Waters said the findings raised serious concerns about the safety of children in public healthcare settings.
“These are sick children in hospital wards, toddlers in clinic waiting rooms, and teenagers receiving school health services, all relying on a system that has not done the most basic checks to protect them from potential predators.”
Mazibuko, however, maintained that employees are subject to criminal background checks and professional registration requirements, adding that appointments are only confirmed once required screening processes are completed.
“All employees are vetted before employment.”
She also outlined plans to strengthen compliance, stating that the department will develop a system to ensure that all staff appointed to work with children are vetted in line with applicable legislation.
Despite this, the DA maintained that reliance on criminal background checks alone is insufficient, arguing that the absence of routine cross-checking against national child protection registers leaves a critical gap in safeguarding mechanisms.
Mazibuko further revealed that a more comprehensive vetting system is expected to be developed and implemented by September 2026.
The DA said this timeline effectively amounts to an admission that the current system is not fully aligned with legislative child protection requirements, arguing that urgent interim measures are needed to close the gap while reforms are developed.
Waters has called for immediate auditing of all child-facing posts, full disclosure of staff who have not been screened against the NRSO and NCPR registers, and a clear compliance timeline.
The party said it will continue to apply political and legislative pressure until full vetting compliance is implemented across the provincial health system.
The Star