Africa-Press – South-Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa has been given 10 days to furnish the Gauteng High Court with his record of decision-making to sign the National Health Insurance Act into law just two weeks before last year’s national election.
It follows an application for the court to review this move challenged by the board of healthcare funders, which represents most private medical schemes and the South African Private Practitioners’ Forum.
Both made a written appeal to the president when the bill was passed in December 2023 to reconsider the legislation, which they do not believe adequately takes financial implications into account.
In its ruling on Wednesday, the court rejected the president’s argument that he is under no obligation to produce a record of the decision in terms of court rules and that the court lacks the jurisdiction to review the matter.
It’s but one of several cases brewing to challenge the NHI Act’s constitutionality.
Freedom Front Plus MP Philip Van Staden said his party warned about this during the parliamentary stages.
“President Ramaphosa’s signing of the NHI shortly before last year’s elections was just a ploy to make an impossible promise to millions of unemployed voters to secure their votes. It has now backfired on the ANC,” said Van Staden.
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