The response of the provincial spokesperson of the Department of Health and Welfare, Mr Phuthi Seloba, to the representatives of the Phadzima Pension Committee, who were blaming the department for delaying the opening of the two completed toilets built for old-age grant beneficiaries, was received with mixed feelings by the programme director of the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Trust.

In the article published by Mirror on July 14, this year, Seloba indicated that it was surprising to find certain representatives of the pensioners failing to follow the right channels of addressing matters of concern with the department. He also stated that there are people within the pension committee who were elected in the structure with ambitions of becoming ward councillors, and that they view serving as members of the pension committee as a stepping stone to become ward councillors.

“We noticed in the Mirror dated July 14, 2006, that the spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Development has accused representatives of the Phadzima Pension Committee of using the committee for their own personal advancement, that they want to further their desire to become ward councillors. The pension committee was simply asking when the toilets, provided for their use at Tondani Primary School, would be opened,” reads part of the statement from Ms Fiona Nicholson.

According to her, it is not the first time that Seloba has accused people asking questions of the department of furthering their own interests. “When TVEP asked the department about funding for the two trauma centres run on their behalf, the programme director was similarly accused of trying to further her own standing. In fact, he (Seloba) launched such a personal attack on the programme director that the SABC was unable to broadcast the interview for fear of litigation. Both organisations were asking legitimate questions of the Department of Health and Social Development. We wonder if the MEC is aware of this spokesman's somewhat defamatory and unprofessional responses in response to reasonable requests from the public as clearly he is not helping to foster good relations with the community,” Nicholson asked.