These events were preceded by an exposé in the "Daily Dispatch" newspaper over the allegedly appalling conditions at the hospital. Madlala-Routledge first paid a visit to the hospital, which had not been scheduled nor communicated to the hospital, and after her report, Msimang subsequently paid a scheduled and announced visit to the hospital. Finally, writing in his weekly column, president Thabo Mbeki had defended Msimang's report on Frere Hospital and downplayed the "Daily Dispatch"'s investigations as inflammatory, effectively dismissing the deputy minister's views.