DA defends decision to take on NHI in ConCourt

May 6, 2026 · 3 min · Episode 43

About this episode

Geordin Hill-Lewis discusses the DA's legal challenge against the National Health Insurance in the Constitutional Court.

DA defends decision to take on NHI in ConCourt Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Geordin Hill-Lewis argued on Wednesday that South Africa cannot build a sustainable healthcare system by centralising "enormous power, money, and decision-making" in a State that has repeatedly failed its current mandates. Hill-Lewis' remarks come as the Western Cape government takes its fight against the National Health Insurance (NHI) to the Constitutional Court. The provincial government is seeking to defend the principle that superior healthcare is a product of good governance rather than centralised control, arguing that major reforms like the NHI cannot be pushed through Parliament as a "box-ticking exercise". The Constitutional Court is hearing two major challenges to the NHI Act between Tuesday and Thursday, focusing on an allegedly flawed parliamentary public participation process. In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that he would not promulgate any provisions of the NHI Act prior to the Constitutional Court handing down judgment on these public participation challenges, and that he would not enforce any part of the Act until he was requested to do so by the Minister of Health…

People in this episode

Guest: Geordin Hill-Lewis

Topics covered

healthcare
politics
legal challenges
government
public services

Keywords

National Health Insurance
Constitutional Court
Geordin Hill-Lewis
Democratic Alliance
healthcare system

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Democratic Alliance, National Health Insurance, Constitutional Court, Minister of Health

Places: South Africa, Western Cape