The Presidential Medical Unit (PMU), staffed by South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) personnel, spent R472 million on providing medical care over the last five years.
This is according to Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga, who was answering a Parliamentary question posed by the Democratic Alliance’s Chris Hattingh. She said the total cost incurred in providing medical care included R79 million in 2019/20; R67 million in 2020/21; R87 million in 2021/22; R91 million in 2022/23/ and R97 million in 2023/24. From April 2024 to September, R49 million was spent by the PMU.
The PMU is currently staffed by 65 personnel in four provinces including the administrative capital, Pretoria, Hattingh was told by Motshekga. PMU personnel are permanently stationed in the Western Cape, understandably due to Parliament being in Cape Town, as well as undisclosed locations in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
Asked for details of PMU sites, the Directorate Corporate Communication (DCC) said: “The SANDF is not in a position to offer details of the PMU as this entity is regarded as a strategic medical unit attached to the Office of the President, which disclosure of its operations and staff complement may compromise the security of the President”.
This contrasts with a post on an official SANDF social media page in November last year. It reads, in part: “The PMU, nestled at the foot of the Union Buildings in Pretoria, is home to Health Care Professionals and Support Staff that ensure the health and well-being of Heads of State”.
Current personnel strength is nine more than seven years ago, the last time this publication reported on the unit with latest available information showing Colonel GZ Phithi as Officer Commanding (OC) for the past year.
Motshekga’s personnel breakdown has it, apart from the OC, the unit is staffed by 12 medical officers, four nursing officers and 34 operational emergency care practitioners along with three human resource practitioners and five logisticians. This totals 59, differing by six from the Ministerial reply to Hattingh.
She further provided some detail of how the PMU is set up to her questioner.
“It has an HQ (headquarters) element and eight teams supporting the incumbent and retired presidents and deputy presidents as well as [the] incumbent Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and visiting heads of state”.
The PMU patient list is topped by the South African President (currently Cyril Ramaphosa), the Deputy President (currently Paul Mashatile) and the serving defence and military veterans minister, Hattingh was told in response to another question. Retired presidents, including Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki, are PMU patients, according to the Ministerial reply.
Replying to Hattingh on whether the PMU spend of R100 million a year, R1 million a month per person supported by the unit was value for money, Motshekga said the expense was “justified”.
Her response, in this regard, has it funds utilised by the PMU “to support principals and other dignitaries, including visiting heads of state, have found to be fully justified”.
“Providing high quality medical care is critical for maintaining the health and operational readiness of these key figures. The investment in their healthcare is not only about immediate medical needs but also about preventive care and ongoing health monitoring which are essential for early detection and treatment of any potential health issues. The continuous evaluation and monitoring of the PMU’s functioning and costs ensure that resources are used efficiently, aligning with realistic expenditure goals.”
