Delays in plans for new Klipfontein hospital slammed

The GF Jooste Hospital in Manenberg was decommissioned eight years ago with plans to build a bigger regional hospital. Picture: ANA Archives

The GF Jooste Hospital in Manenberg was decommissioned eight years ago with plans to build a bigger regional hospital. Picture: ANA Archives

Published Aug 8, 2022

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Cape Town - The completion date for the long-awaited Klipfontein Regional Hospital has been extended by another two years, with residents in surrounding areas set to only benefit by 2031.

This as allegations have been brought to the attention of Western Cape Premier Alan Winde regarding the contractor appointed to undertake part of the build.

The GF Jooste Hospital in Manenberg was decommissioned eight years ago with plans to build a bigger regional hospital. This was the only hospital serving the Klipfontein area, which comprises Manenberg, Gugulethu and Nyanga.

The new hospital is part of the Manenberg Urban Upgrade, which the province said would include a 640-bed regional hospital; a schools upgrade that will benefit four primary schools; and a new School of Skills for the Manenberg community and surrounds.

The initial completion date was set for 2029 but is now scheduled for 2031.

“Construction completion date is scheduled for 2031,” Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness spokesperson Mark van der Heever said.

According to reports last year, the projected cost for stage 1 of the project was R2.2 billion.

Van der Heever told the Cape Times the project was currently in its concept stage.

“The Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW - provincial) views the construction of the Klipfontein Regional Hospital as a mega project which will greatly benefit the community and the larger Western Cape population.

“DTPW is the implementing agent on this project for the Western Cape Department of Health. The project is in Concept Stage (stage 2) and the evaluation of the Professional Service Provider (PSP) tender is currently being undertaken. It is anticipated that the PSP team will be appointed by September 2022. This year, the main activity will be the preparation of a concept design,” he said.

In an open letter to Winde, Cape Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams said he noted with concern that a company “known for its blatant disrespect for public funds has been approved to do various upgrades in Manenberg”.

“This company awarded a contract to secure a public building site to a gang boss, the princely sum of R2 million was misappropriated. A clear contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) was flippantly committed by big business and no sphere of government batted an eyelid.

“Big white interests prevailed even in the face of overwhelming evidence. We need to ask why? Furthermore to compound this issue a coloured female-owned company which ticked every box the tender required, was passed over on the Manenberg development despite being cheaper on tender,” the letter read.

In response to the allegations, Winde’s spokesperson Regan Thaw would only say: “In the Western Cape, tenders are run professionally by experienced administrative staff, with clear systems and set criteria in place which conform to national finance laws.”

Thaw referred the Cape Times to the provincial Infrastructure Department which also did not answer specific questions, reiterating: “In the Western Cape, tenders are run professionally by experienced administrative staff. With clear systems and set criteria in place which conform to national finance laws,” spokesperson Ntobeko Mbingeleli said.

While the company confirmed it had been appointed to build the school, it denied allegations levelled against it.

“We strongly deny these allegations as unsubstantiated and baseless. (We) are committed to contracting in-line with best business practices,” said a spokesperson for the company.

Meanwhile, the DA has been called out for its lack of “urgency” in rebuilding GF Jooste hospital.

ANC provincial health spokesperson Rachel Windvogel said: “There is no seriousness and no sense of urgency whatsoever on the part of the DA administration to rebuild the GF Jooste which they decommissioned with no plans for an alternative hospital. What we know for now is that phase 1 of the rebuilding started in December 2018 and that R5.5 million has been set aside for the current financial year for feasibility studies.

“The DA deserves all the beating it gets for shutting down a hospital of GF Jooste's size without having any plans to rebuild it. The continuing challenges experienced at Khayelitsha District Hospital, Mitchell's Plain District Hospital and surrounds are as a result of this closure.

“In the meantime, one proposal that we are still discussing internally and will take forward with the department is for Khayelitsha District Hospital to be granted the status of a regional hospital so it can be able to withstand the service pressures.”

DA MPP Wendy Kaizer-Philander said the tender process and the Covid-19 pandemic were the cause of the delays.

"GF Jooste was initially closed owing to the need for the health care facilities in the area to be upgraded such that they meet the community’s needs in the long-term. In the short term, this does create some pressures on the existing infrastructure,” she said.

“Unfortunately, the reason for the delays of this project is due to the ongoing tender process which was further delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. At the moment, multidisciplinary professional service providers required to design the building should be appointed by the end of 2022. The health care system has been subject to immense strain as a result of the tightening fiscal environment from the national government and specifically the population growth experienced in these areas. While there are indeed service delivery pressures, the Western Cape still outperforms other provinces in providing health care to our residents and is committed to all communities in the Western Cape."