Johannesburg - Ailing former president Nelson Mandela would have been treated at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto if government had invested in facilities there, EFF leader Julius Malema said on Saturday.
“Just imagine if Mandela had been at Baragwanath hospital. It would have been very good because it would have been a passing of confidence in our public services,” he said at an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) rally in Sebokeng.
In Sepedi he said: “Right now, Mandela cannot be treated at Baragwanath because of its lack of facilities. We should have designated a lot of funds for its development.”
Malema said the hospital was meant to cater for the needs of the people but had not been sufficiently equipped by government.
He said the EFF would ensure that state funding would be channelled to critical government institutions so that prominent figures could turn to state institutions for help.
Mandela is spending his 36th day in a Pretoria hospital on Saturday for a recurring lung infection. He remained in a critical but stable condition, according to the Presidency.
On Thursday, Presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said Mandela was still responding to treatment. - Sapa