By Julia Moyo
Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital has defended its Cardiothoracic Surgery Department following calls by the Democratic Alliance (DA) for an urgent investigation into mortality rates, management practices and patient outcomes within the unit.
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom recently urged Wits University Vice-Chancellor Professor Zeblon Vilakazi to investigate what he described as alarmingly high mortality and morbidity rates in the department, citing figures provided by the Gauteng Department of Health in response to questions submitted in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to the department’s latest figures, 23 patients died following 166 heart surgeries performed in 2025, resulting in a mortality rate of 14%. The department indicated that this represented an improvement from mortality rates of 21% in 2023 and 19% in 2024.
Bloom questioned the figures and criticised the department for previously reporting a 72.5% reduction in mortality rates between 2023 and 2025, a figure the department later attributed to a calculation error involving preliminary data. “The admitted 14% mortality rate last year is scandalously high,” Bloom said, adding that international cardiac centres would typically investigate mortality rates above 2% to 3%.
He also raised concerns about reported morbidity rates of 22% and the impact these issues may have on patient care and specialist training. In response, the Gauteng Department of Health acknowledged that a discrepancy had been identified in mortality reduction figures previously submitted to the Gauteng Legislature.
According to the department, the previously reported 72.5% reduction in mortality between 2023 and 2025 resulted from a data collation and validation error involving preliminary, non-reconciled datasets. “The Department did not intentionally provide false information,” the department said in a statement issued on Thursday. The department said verified records reflected a 34% reduction in mortality between 2023 and 2025, with mortality rates declining from 21% in 2023 to 19% in 2024 and 14% in 2025.
It further rejected allegations of a cover-up, stating that clinical performance within the Cardiothoracic Unit is subject to established governance, audit and oversight processes, including routine morbidity and mortality reviews, multidisciplinary clinical discussions and accreditation mechanisms. The department also noted that outcomes in specialised cardiothoracic services should be interpreted within the context of a tertiary referral institution managing highly complex and high-risk cardiac cases.
Meanwhile, Professor Tshifhelimbilu Luvhengo, Head of Surgery at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, rejected suggestions that information was being concealed and defended the work being done by healthcare professionals in the unit.
“You can’t hide death. You can’t hide it,” said Luvhengo. He explained that all surgical outcomes across departments are monitored and reviewed, including deaths and complications, and maintained that the figures released by the hospital had been verified.
Luvhengo said the public should understand that morbidity refers to any complication arising from a procedure, ranging from minor issues to more serious adverse outcomes. He further argued that direct comparisons with hospitals in Europe and the United States fail to account for the realities faced by South African healthcare facilities.
“Our patients here come late with advanced disease,” he said. According to Luvhengo, Charlotte Maxeke serves patients from across Gauteng and neighbouring provinces, as well as some patients from neighbouring countries, many of whom present with advanced and complex conditions.
He also expressed concern about the loss of specialist surgeons from the public healthcare sector to private practice, warning that continued criticism could further discourage healthcare professionals from remaining in public hospitals. “The cardiac surgeons have left. They have left into private practice,” he said. Luvhengo strongly defended Dr Tumi Taunyane, Head of the Cardiothoracic Department, who has faced criticism and calls for his removal.
“Let’s look at his qualifications. Let’s look at what he’s done. This young man is trying his best,” he said. The professor warned against politicising clinical matters and said healthcare workers were being unfairly targeted. “When as politicians we continue to demoralise the staff, it is unfair. Clinical issues should not be taken into politics. You are demoralising us,” he said. Luvhengo added that public healthcare facilities across the country face staffing challenges but continue to provide essential services under difficult circumstances.
The Office of the Health Ombud has confirmed that it will investigate concerns surrounding the department, while Bloom has called on Wits University to conduct its own inquiry. The matter has placed renewed focus on cardiac surgery services at one of Gauteng’s largest academic hospitals, with the DA, the Department of Health and the hospital offering differing perspectives on the causes of the outcomes and the steps needed to improve services.
