After 10 years and R20 million, all that exists of the Boitumelo Community Health Centre in Emfuleni is a concreted hole in the ground, an incomplete boundary wall and a patch of excavated soil.
This is only the tip of the iceberg of Gauteng’s crumbling and failing health infrastructure.
Accusations of corruption and sabotage deepen mistrust
Shoddy engineering consultants not only caused major delays to the R700 million Johannesburg forensic laboratory, but their flawed designs also cost the Gauteng department of health a staggering R200 million.
According to the department, the consultants’ poor performance led to years of delays after the department of infrastructure development terminated the contract and appointed new consultants.
Their designs were not only technically incorrect, but also omitted significant portions of the project scope, leading to further cost overruns and missed deadlines.
The department has since embarked on a process to claw back funds from the consultants.
Patients and staff bear the brunt of stalled construction
Construction on the Boitumelo health centre began in 2015 and was meant to ease the burden on residents of the Boitumelo section in Sebokeng, Vanderbijlpark, who continue to rely on a makeshift clinic housed in prefabricated structures.
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Patients, including the elderly and mothers with infants, queue for hours under a torn canvas partially covering a steel frame that provides little protection from the elements.
“When it rains, we get soaked and in summer we get the sun. I did not even know a new clinic was being built nearby. I just pray they finish it soon,” a 75-year-old patient said.
Staff at the temporary clinic echoed her frustration, saying it was impossible to serve the community in such a small space, with a nurse saying: “We can’t store all the equipment we need and even filing patient records is a nightmare because of the limited space. Safety of staff and patients is also a major issue.”
The project has seen three different contractors appointed and paid over the years, yet progress remains at a standstill, with the department blaming poor contractor performance and community unrest for the collapse of the project.
DA Emfuleni North constituency head Kingsol Chabalala accused the department of health of misleading the public about the real causes of the failure.
“I doubt there’s any money left. What we know is that so-called construction mafias, linked to ANC-aligned community structures, demand 30% cuts from contractors. When contractors refuse, they are driven off the site and it’s those same community leaders who sabotage their own projects,” he said.
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Chabalala said Boitumelo clinic was not an isolated case.
Department promises new model to fix broken system
With millions wasted and communities left waiting for basic services, Gauteng’s public health infrastructure is in tatters.
Xolisani Galada, the deputy director-general for infrastructure development, said they had embarked on a massive infrastructure refurbishing and maintenance programme.
He said the department had adopted a new infrastructure delivery model at the beginning of the 2024-25 financial year, which will ensure the provincial health department is responsible for the infrastructure maintenance of all health facilities.
He said there were over 504 health facilities in Gauteng consisting of 37 hospitals, community health care centres, clinics, emergency medical services and forensic pathology services.
Dangala said R1.1 billion had been set aside for infrastructure maintenance annually to service these facilities and this meant, on average, each facility was allocated an amount of R2.2 million for maintenance annually.
“This is far less than what is required,” he said.
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