The status of a 15-year-old plan to build a clinic in the Emfuleni municipality shows more wasted millions within the Gauteng Department of Health.
A plan to build the Boitumelo clinic was initiated in 2010, but a recent report by the department states the project is on hold, with only a single wall having been built.
The new clinic was meant to replace the existing Boitumelo clinic which serves the Sebokeng and Evaton communities.
Wasted health funds
Gauteng Department of Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko recently signed off on the status report following a query in the provincial legislature.
The response showed that a service provider and two contractors were approved for a combined contract sum of almost R180 million, with R13.3 million being paid to the first contractor.
This first contractor, appointed in 2013 but only commencing work in 2016 due to budget limitations, was cancelled in April 2018.
“Due to community disruptions, work was stopped on site and contractors didn’t return to site, rather they chose to terminate the contract by mutual consent,” the department’s report reads.
A revised completion date was set for March 2021 and the replacement contractor has since received R6.1 million, with little to show for the amount.
“The DA conducted an oversight inspection at the project site, and we can confirm firsthand that there is no visible clinic infrastructure besides a wall, demonstrating the lack of progress,” stated DA Emfuleni North Constituency Head Kingsol Chabalala.
“[This] demonstrates the complete disregard for service delivery by this department, which continues to underperform,” he added.
Stuck in planning phase
The initial budget allocation for the clinic project was R40 million, allocated during the 2015/16 financial year, but no budget is currently earmarked for the project.
“The Boitumelo Clinic brief will need to be relooked at since it is 15 years old, therefore the project is in the planning phase,” stated MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.
“Currently, all projects in planning have been put on hold due to budget constraints,” she continued.
The MEC explained that the second contractor was cancelled in 2022 due to community unrest. However, the matter went to arbitration as no formal letter of termination was issued.
Chabalala said the DA was calling for an investigation into the matter, as well as an insistence on the project’s completion.
“Such spending on little more than a perimeter wall by Gauteng Health underscores significant financial mismanagement and potential corruption,” he concluded.
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