Six KwaZulu-Natal public hospitals have been cleared of any direct link to the deaths of healthcare professionals, after the Health Ombud found no evidence that workplace conditions, bullying, victimisation or institutional failures caused the fatalities under investigation.
Presenting the findings in Pretoria on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, Health Ombud Professor Taole Mokoena drew a clear distinction between the deaths and the facilities where the healthcare workers had been employed.
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According to the Health Ombud, the investigation followed intervention at the highest levels, after Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and former Portfolio Committee on Health chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo raised concerns amid growing alarm over a cluster of healthcare worker deaths within a relatively short period.
The deaths had intensified public scrutiny, attracted widespread media attention, and fuelled labour unrest across parts of the public health sector.
Against that backdrop, and with pressure mounting from both the public and organised labour, the inquiry set out to test whether conditions inside the system had played any role.
This included examining working conditions, human resource practices, disciplinary processes, employee support mechanisms and broader institutional pressures.
In setting out the outcome, Mokoena stated:
“The overall findings are as follows. The investigation found no evidence pointing to a direct causal link between the deaths under the investigation and workplace bullying, victimisation, or adverse working conditions at any of the facilities concerned.”
The hospitals assessed were Addington Hospital, Port Shepstone Hospital, Ngwelezane Hospital, Vryheid Hospital, Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital and Benedictine Hospital.
Mokoena explained that the investigation went beyond a paper-based review.
Hospital records, HR processes, employee wellness programmes and disciplinary histories were examined, while interviews were conducted across the system.
These included engagements with management, doctors, interns, labour representatives and support staff.
The aim was to test the documented record against experiences on the ground, particularly in facilities where concerns around workload, staffing levels and working conditions had already been publicly raised.
At Addington Hospital, the investigation into the death of 31-year-old Dr Tumelo Kgaladi, who died at his residence during 2025, found no link to his working environment.
While circumstantial evidence pointed to possible carbon monoxide poisoning, Mokoena said the final cause of death remains subject to a forensic South African Police Service inquiry and inquest process.
At Port Shepstone Hospital, investigators examined the death of radiographer Mvelo Cele, who died from cardiac arrest while on duty. Despite the circumstances of his death, the inquiry found no evidence connecting it to workplace conditions at the facility.
At Ngwelezane Hospital, the death of Dr Siyabonga Zulu, who died in a motor vehicle accident while off duty, was similarly found to have no connection to workplace or systemic pressures at the hospital.
The report also dealt directly with allegations surrounding the death of Dr Francis Idika at Vryheid Hospital.
These allegations had been amplified by the Public Servants Association, which staged demonstrations outside hospitals last year as part of broader concerns around burnout, staff shortages and working conditions across public healthcare facilities.
However, while these concerns shaped the public narrative at the time, the investigation found no evidence to support claims that workplace bullying, victimisation or disciplinary action contributed to Dr Idika’s death. The inquiry concluded that he died from natural causes after suffering a ruptured aortic aneurysm.
At Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, Mokoena addressed the death of medical intern Dr Alulutho Mazwi. The case had become a particular flashpoint after claims circulated on social media that he had been required to work despite being ill.
Mokoena dismissed those claims as fabricated.
The inquiry found that Dr Mazwi became critically ill at the doctors’ residence and was taken to the hospital’s emergency unit, where he was declared dead on arrival. The most likely cause of death was found to be a pulmonary embolism arising from deep vein thrombosis.
At Benedictine Hospital, the Health Ombud addressed the death of Dr S.I. Ngidi, a community service doctor. According to Mokoena, the investigation found that Dr Ngidi died by suicide while off duty.
While the findings remove direct blame from the hospitals in the cases investigated, they do not erase the broader strain within the public healthcare system.
Mokoena pointed to persistent structural weaknesses across facilities, including staff shortages, heavy workloads, gaps in medical supplies and equipment, and ongoing infrastructure constraints. These issues had already formed part of the concerns raised by healthcare workers and labour bodies before the investigation was initiated.
As such, the report brings a measure of finality to the specific cases that prompted the inquiry, establishing an evidence-based position on whether workplace conditions directly caused the deaths under review.
However, the broader context remains unresolved. The systemic challenges identified during the investigation continue to shape the environment in which healthcare professionals work, and by extension, the functioning of the facilities themselves.
Therefore, while the immediate questions surrounding the six deaths have now been addressed by the Health Ombud, the wider pressures facing KwaZulu-Natal’s public healthcare system remain an ongoing concern.
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